About Marjorie Torrey
Lived 1891 – 1964 (aged 72). Marjorie Torrey was an American writer, children's writer, novelist and illustrator.
Marjorie Torrey Chanslor ( Hood; November 10, 1888/1891 was an American illustrator and writer of children's books. She also wrote two mystery novels for adults under the name Torrey Chanslor and published under the name Torrey Bevans. She was a runner-up for the annual American Library Association Caldecott Medal for children's picture book illustration, in both 1946 and 1947; Opal Wheeler wrote both books, Sing Mother Goose and Sing in Praise).
Personal life Chanslor was born Marjorie Torrey Hood in Brooklyn, New York to William A. Hood (1860–1918) and Caroline Lincoln Torrey (1861–1949). The writer herself would give her year of birth as 1899, which has been discredited, particularly in light of her 1911 marriage to Thomas Murray Bevans (1879–1953 ) in Jersey City, New Jersey. He had previously been married to Anna Fessenden Bradley (1877–1920) from around 1899 to around 1905; they had a son, Thomas Torre Bevans (1912–2003), ) who renewed copyright to several of Torrey's books in the 1970s. Thomas Torre Bevans was married to Margaret Van Doren, also a writer and illustrator.
She married, secondly, to screenwriter Roy Edwin Chanslor (1899–1964 ), who wrote The Menace. In April 1935, she was fined $1,450 for throwing a cocktail at screenwriter Lon Young at a New Year's Eve party at the Cafe Trocadero nightclub in Los Angeles.
Marjorie Torrey Chanslor died on September 1, 1964, in Manhattan. There was no funeral service, at her direction.
Books
Sarah's idea (1938), illustrator Our First Murder (Frederick A. Stokes, 1940) – mystery fiction for adults, featuring the Beagle Sisters, Our Second Murder (Stokes, 1941), Penny (1944) Artie and the Princess (1945) Three Little Chipmunks (1947) The Merriweathers (1949) New star of the show (1949), illustrator Alice in Wonderland (1955), illustrator Far from Marlborough Street Trouble for Jerry Doris Gages, illustrator Saturday Night is My Delight Sing Mother Goose, written by Opal Wheeler (E. P. Dutton, 1945) Sing in Praise: a collection of the best loved hymns, by Opal Wheeler (Dutton, 1946) Abide with Me, illustrator Hoodoo that Voodoo, illustrator Songs to sing with the very young, by Phyllis Brown Ohanian (1966) Peter Pan (Random House, Inc. 1957), illustrator,
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Important facts
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Marjorie Torre Bevans, M. T. Bevans, Marjorie Bevans, Torre Bevans, Torrey Chanslor, TorreyPeople in Marjorie Torrey's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Marjorie Torrey's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Marjorie Torrey?
American illustrator and writer (1891-1964)
When was Marjorie Torrey born?
Marjorie Torrey was born on 10 November 1891 in Brooklyn.
When did Marjorie Torrey die?
Marjorie Torrey died on 1 September 1964 in Manhattan.
What was Marjorie Torrey's occupation?
Marjorie Torrey was a writer, children's writer, novelist and illustrator.
What nationality was Marjorie Torrey?
Marjorie Torrey was American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Marjorie Torrey. https://biography.guide/marjorie-torrey/
MLA: "Marjorie Torrey." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/marjorie-torrey/.
Chicago: "Marjorie Torrey." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/marjorie-torrey/.
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