Julia Cruger

Julia Grinnell Storrow Cruger (pseudonym: Julien Gordon; July 19, 1848 – July 12, 1920) was an American novelist. Because many of her books examined the American social world, she was known as the Edith Wharton of her day.

Family Julia Grinnell Storrow was born in Paris, France, in 1848. She was the daughter of Thomas Wentworth Storrow Jr. (1805–1861) of Boston and Sarah Sanders ( Paris) Storrow (1813–1885).

Her paternal grandparents were Thomas Wentworth Storrow and Sarah Phipps ( Brown) Storrow. His maternal grandparents were attorney John Daniel Paris and Catherine ( Irving) Paris, sister to Washington Irving (making Julia a grandniece of Washington Iriving). Conveniently, 400 was the number of people that could fit into Mrs. Astor's ballroom.

Her first book was A Diplomat's Diary (1890); it and the next three novels all appeared first in serial form. Following her husband's death in 1898, Julia inherited his fortune, leaving her independently well off. The couple, however, separated after a year, and were divorced in 1916.

Selected works A Diplomat's Diary (1890) Vampires: Mademoiselle Réséda (1891) A Successful Man (1891) A Puritan Pagan (1891) Marionettes (1892) His Letters (1892) Poppaea (1895) A Wedding and Other Stories (1896) Eat Not Thy Heart (1897) Mrs. Clyde: The Story of a Social Career (1901) The Wage of Character: A Social Study (1901)