Only daughter of Tom L. and Maggie J. Johnson, Bessie grew up in a home surrounded by luxury. Her father was a street car magnate, owning lines in Detroit, Indianapolis, Louisville, and Cleveland. In 1890 her father was elected to the U.S. Congress from Ohio and was reelected in 1892. In 1901, he became the mayor of Cleveland, Ohio and continued in that position for eight more years. Bessie acted successfully on the local stage, sang, played the piano, wrote plays, gave recitations, and is even reported to have written several novels. In addition to being an expert horseback rider, she was the first woman in Cleveland to drive an automobile. In March, 1907, she married Frederico Mariani, an aspiring playwrite from Milan, Italy, but the union did not last. She never remarried. Her only child was daughter, Margaret Evelyn Mariani.
Only daughter of Tom L. and Maggie J. Johnson, Bessie grew up in a home surrounded by luxury. Her father was a street car magnate, owning lines in Detroit, Indianapolis, Louisville, and Cleveland. In 1890 her father was elected to the U.S. Congress from Ohio and was reelected in 1892. In 1901, he became the mayor of Cleveland, Ohio and continued in that position for eight more years. Bessie acted successfully on the local stage, sang, played the piano, wrote plays, gave recitations, and is even reported to have written several novels. In addition to being an expert horseback rider, she was the first woman in Cleveland to drive an automobile. In March, 1907, she married Frederico Mariani, an aspiring playwrite from Milan, Italy, but the union did not last. She never remarried. Her only child was daughter, Margaret Evelyn Mariani.
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"My Dearest Mother"
