Early Life and Family Background Esther Gracie Lawrence was born into a family distinguished for its social, intellectual, and political connections. Her father, Judge William Beach Lawrence, was a noted jurist and diplomat, and the owner of Ochre Point in Newport, Rhode Island. It was he who transformed that stretch of coastline into one of the most fashionable enclaves of the Gilded Age, selling parcels of the property to leading families who would shape Newport society. He placed the property in trust, and the terms of that trust later proved a source of disagreement among his heirs. Esther’s mother, Esther Rogers Gracie, belonged to the prominent Gracie family of New York. One of Esther’s sisters, Cornelia, became the Baroness von Klenck.

Marriage and Personal Life In 1881, at an age when many women of her social circle had long since established households of their own, Esther married Dr. William Lamont Wheeler. The marriage proved difficult and ended tragically with Dr. Wheeler’s suicide in 1887. Esther thereafter devoted herself to literary pursuits and to preserving her husband’s memory; she eventually erected a memorial chapel in Manville, New York, where they are both interred.

Literary Career Writing under the name Mrs. Lamont Wheeler, Esther gained recognition for her books and dramatic sketches that captured the manners, atmosphere, and social nuances of her time. Her works include Stray Leaves from Newport and A Washington Symphony, the latter offering a vivid portrayal of the social and political world of Washington during the late nineteenth century. She also wrote for the stage, including Cupid’s Little Game: A Play of Newport Society, a light comedy set amid the resort world with which she was intimately familiar, and A Cup of Tea Drawn from 1773, a short dramatic sketch evoking pre-Revolutionary social life.

Her writing was marked by a perceptive eye for character, custom, and setting, and offers a valuable contemporary perspective on American society in the Gilded Age.

Later Years and Death In her later years, Esther divided her time between Newport, New York, and Boston, where she continued to write and remained active in literary and artistic circles. Her life came to a sudden end in 1893 when she was struck by a runaway horse in Boston, opposite the Public Library. She died from her injuries shortly thereafter.

Annotated Bibliography of Works by Esther Gracie (Lawrence) Wheeler

(Published as “Mrs. Lamont Wheeler”)

Stray Leaves from Newport Newport, privately printed, 1881. A series of social sketches and reflective essays portraying the early society of Newport before its full emergence as the Gilded Age resort. With a tone that is observant, conversational, and occasionally nostalgic, Wheeler offers glimpses of local character, custom, and landscape. Contemporary readers valued it for its intimate knowledge of Newport life, and it has since served as a minor but useful primary source for early Newport social history.

A Washington Symphony New York: Fords, Howard & Hulbert, 1888. A lightly fictionalized panorama of social and political life in late nineteenth-century Washington, composed in short “movements” that together form a satirical portrait of the capital’s official and unofficial society. Wheeler’s commentary is urbane and perceptive, noting the interplay between politics, social ambition, and personal foibles. Reviewers praised its wit and its keen observation of Washington personalities and manners.

Cupid’s Little Game: A Play of Newport Society First produced c. 1880. A comedic one-act play set within Newport’s summer social season, centered on flirtations, misunderstandings, and the light etiquette of seaside society. Though lightly constructed, it is valuable as a contemporaneous reflection of Newport’s social codes and amusements. It appears to have circulated privately and may not have been formally published.

A Cup of Tea Drawn from 1773 (1888) A brief dramatic sketch set shortly before the American Revolution, using the domestic ritual of tea-drinking to evoke themes of loyalty, colonial identity, and shifting political sentiment. Written with charm and period detail, it reflects Wheeler’s interest in American historical settings and genteel patriotic nostalgia. It was well-received for amateur performance in literary clubs and historical salons.