Mery Berri Chapman Hansbrough

Mery Berri Chapman Hansbrough was born and educated in DC, where both her parents worked as examiners in the patent office. She began writing stories at age 9. A painter in watercolors and oils as well as a poet, Hansborough published Lyrics of Love and Nature (1895), which also included her illustrations. Individual poems appeared in such publications as Harpers Magazine and The Century.

Hansbrough married Senator Henry Clay Hansbrough (R-ND) in 1897, after a whirlwind courtship of only seven weeks, which was widely covered in the society sections of newspapers. The Midland Monthly Magazine reported it as “a genuinely romantic love match” when the senator “at first sight fell in love with her. His wooing was an ardent one…” The Roanoke Times, noting that Hansbrough was “a young woman of 22” and the senator, a widower, was 49, noted that she was “distinguished in Washington society circles not only for her beauty, but for her talents.” They lived in a large house at 2023 Florida Avenue NW in the Dupont Circle neighborhood.

Despite his support of her creative career, the couple separated after only a few years. The senator brought a chancery suit against his wife, to gain control of her inheritance, claiming she was mentally incompetent. In 1909, Hansbrough was admitted to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital for treatment of mental illness, and she remained confined there over 40 years until her death at age 79. She is buried at Rock Creek Cemetery.