Maria DeWitt Jesup

The historical record on Maria DeWitt Jesup is slight and this is likely due to her own wishes. Following the death of her husband, her paramount public interest was ensuring his remembrance. The official record of the August 30, 1911 dedication of the Jesup Memorial Library opens with remarks from Reverend William Lawrence who emphasized that “The character of Mrs. Jesup…is simple and direct.” While other event speakers spoke of her husband’s character, in conformity to her wishes each avoided characterizing Maria.  

Following her husband’s death in 1908, she finalized completion of the Westport [CT] Library which her husband established in memory of family engagement in his native town. George B. Dorr may have known of her prior library philanthropy. He indirectly adds to our knowledge of the Bar Harbor donor, informing us of her reliability for within a day of securing Mrs. Jesup’s approval he purchased the land. As Dorr brought to her attention the additional costs of construction and maintaining the memorial, her flexibility was demonstrated in her agreement to support additional expenses for memorializing her husband in their adopted summer community.

Ronald Epp, August 19, 2020