Florence King

Florence King (1936-2016) was born in Washington, D.C. to a bookish British father and a tomboy American mother. King spent her childhood living with her parents, maternal grandmother, and her grandmother’s maid. King showed talent in French, but unable to pursue it as a major at American University, she switched to a dual major of History and English. She attended the University of Mississippi for graduate school, but did not complete her M.A. degree after discovering she could make a living as a writer. King, who lived in Virginia at the time of her death, retired in 2002, but resumed writing a monthly column for National Review in 2006.