Converse, Harriet Maxwell

Converse, Harriet (Arnot) Maxwell

(1836–1903) author, defender of Indian rights; born in Elmira, N.Y. She lived in New York City after 1866, writing essays and romantic verse. Devoting herself after 1881 to studying and preserving Iroquois culture, she published works no longer highly regarded, but, more lastingly, she collected Indian artifacts for major museums and successfully defended Native Americans' property rights in several lawsuits.