Sara Josepha Hale (1788-1879) was, for 4 decades, the editor of the highest-circulation magazine in the US.
A champion of higher education for women, she was one of the founders of Vassar College, insisting that it be named Vassar College, rather than Vassar Women's College.
She initiated the movement to create a national holiday for Thanksgiving.
She authored the first American anti-slavery novel: "Northwood: Life North and South" (1827).
She wrote one of the most famous poems, perhaps THE most famous poem, in the English language: "Mary's Lamb".