Background

Charlotte Fletcher was born on December 11, 1915, in Cambridge, Maryland, United States. She was a daughter of Frederick H. Fletcher, a lawyer, and Mary Henry Fletcher, maiden name Gould.

Education

Charlotte Fletcher attended public schools in Cambridge. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in 1935 from Hollins University, what was then Hollins College, and a Bachelor of Science in Library Science from Columbia University in 1939. In 1969 Fletcher was awarded a Master of Arts, Atrium Honoris Causa, from Saint John's University.

Career

Following graduation from Hollins Univesity, Charlotte Fletcher worked as a Librarian for 45 years. After work at the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore from 1939 to 1941, she served for three years as Librarian of the Talbot County Free Library. In July of 1944, she began 36 years at Saint John's College Library, Annapolis. She retired in 1980.

Charlotte Fletcher was the author of numerous articles on Maryland History and on the history of St. John's College including, in her retirement, five essays entitled Saint John's Forever, published in 1990. Fletcher's research presented strong evidence that the college, chartered in 1784, was named by leaders of Annapolis who were Masons, to honor St. John the Evangelist. Her book, Cato's Mirania, published in 2002 by University Press of America, is a biography of Scotland-born William Smith, who chartered not only St. John's, but also Washington College in 1782.

Charlotte Fletcher traveled widely with her sister, the late Mary Henry Fletcher, as well as with groups from Hollins and with Elder Hostel. At the time of her death, she was planning another trip to Europe and writing a second book, a collection of short stories.

Charlotte Fletcher passed away in 2006 at the Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis, fighting pneumonia until her last days.

Achievements

• Charlotte Goldsborough Fletcher was a Maryland Historian and Author, whose career as Librarian spanned for nearly four decades. At the time of her service at libraries, she managed to write two books and a great number of essays on historical topics.

Works

More photos

• book

  • Cato's Mirania

    (Scottish born William Smith wrote The College of Mirania ...)

    2002

Religion

Charlotte Goldsborough Fletcher was a parishioner of Saint Anne's Episcopal Church.

Politics

Charlotte Goldsborough Fletcher was a Democrat.

Membership

• 

  Charlotte Fletcher was a member of the Maryland Historical Society.

  Maryland Historical Society , United States

• Charlotte Fletcher was a member of the Annapolis Watercolor Society.

  Annapolis Watercolor Society , United States

• 

  Charlotte Fletcher was a member of the Maryland Federation of Art.

  Maryland Federation of Art , United States

• 

  Charlotte Fletcher was a member of the Caritas Society.

  Caritas Society , United States

Personality

Fletcher was an unabashed and accomplished croquet player who kept a croquet set, available at all times in the library - she grew up in the era when croquet was an elegant lawn game. Charlotte Fletcher told the students they could borrow the set whenever they wanted, but there was one hitch - they had to let her play, and then she would outplay them. Fletcher also was an avid gardener who enjoyed sharing plants with friends and neighbors.

Charlotte Fletcher was very active until the end of her life. She loved to dance and was very good at it. She never missed the waltz parties at Saint John's and was seen waltzing and jitterbugging at a family wedding when she was 85. She also took immediately to computers and owned a desktop and printer as well as a laptop. Fletcher was writing her next book on her laptop at the time of her death - it was a collection of short stories. She was altogether described as an energetic and enthusiastic person.

In addition to dancing and playing croquet, Miss Fletcher was an accomplished watercolorist, enjoyed attending the theater and traveled widely with her sister, the late Mary Henry Fletcher, as well as with groups from Hollins and with Elder Hostel. At the time of her death, she was planning another trip to Europe and writing a second book, a collection of short stories.

Interests

• Dancing, watercolor painting, theater, traveling

• Sport & Clubs

  Croquet

Connections

Father:

Frederick H. Fletcher

Mother:

Mary Henry Gould

colleague:

Edward C. Papenfuse

Sister:

Mary Henry Fletcher

References

• Contemporary Authors vol. 233