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Harriet Martineau: Biography, Facts and Career

Who is Harriet Martineau? An evergreen, sourced profile: biography, key facts and career.

By the Pop Culture Files editorial team4 min read✓ Fact-checked
Harriet Martineau
Richard Evans via Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

Harriet Martineau (12 June 1802 – 27 June 1876) was an English social theorist. She wrote from a sociological, holistic, religious and feminine angle, translated works by Auguste Comte, and, rare for a woman writer at the time, earned enough to support herself. Martineau advised a focus on all aspects of society, including the role of the home in domestic life as well as key political, religious, and social institutions. The young Princess Victoria enjoyed her work and invited her to her coronation in 1838. The novelist Margaret Oliphant called her "a born lecturer and politician... less distinctively affected by her sex than perhaps any other, male or female, of her generation." Her commitment to abolitionism has seen Martineau's achievements studied world-wide, particularly at American institutions of higher education. When unveiling a statue of Martineau in December 1883 at the Old South Meeting House in Boston, Wendell Phillips referred to her as the "greatest American abolitionist".

Quick facts about Harriet Martineau

  • Full name: Harriet Martineau
  • Born: 1802-06-12
  • Nationality: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
  • Known as: Author
  • Wikidata ID: Q234570

Profile compiled from public Wikipedia and Wikidata data. Details can change over time.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Harriet Martineau?

Harriet Martineau (12 June 1802 – 27 June 1876) was an English social theorist.

What nationality is Harriet Martineau?

Harriet Martineau is United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

When was Harriet Martineau born?

Harriet Martineau was born on 1802-06-12.

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