June 4, 1917 was the first time the Pulitzer Prize was awarded.
Sisters Maud H. Elliott and Laura E. Richards were awarded the Pulitzer Prize for the biography of their mother Julia Ward Howe.
It was fitting that the inaugural biography prize honored Julia Ward Howe, the celebrated poet who wrote the powerful “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Written with deep love and historical precision by her own daughters, the acclaimed biography set an enduring, high standard for American biographical literature.
