Courtesy of the California State Library
Mary Pacheco
February 28, 1875–December 9, 1875
Significant Facts
Born: January 22, 1842 in Madison Indiana
Died: November 5, 1913 in San Francicso, California
Married: Romualdo Pacheco on October 31, 1863
Maiden Name: McIntire
Family
Father: David McIntire
Mother: Sarah J. Handley
Husband: Romualdo Pacheco
Children: Romualdo and Maybella
Find out more about the time period and interests of Mary Pacheco
Did You Know?
- Mary's three plays – Loyal until Death, Nothing but Money and Incog – were popular and received good reviews in the press.
- Mary's work was very well regarded. In The Story of the Files: a Review of California Writers and Literature, the author noted that "it is a pleasant thought that California should produce the first woman dramatist who excels in humor and that her work should be of such high order, containing wit that is clever and sparking and vivid."
Biography
Mary McIntire came to California in the late 1850s with her widowed mother and two sisters. How Mary met Romualdo Pacheco is unknown. She married Romualdo on October 31, 1863 in St. Mary's Cathedral in San Francisco, while he was State Treasurer. They had two children Maybella (or Mabel) and Romualdo (or Waldo). However, their son Romualdo Jr. died at age seven. Mary was an engaging conversationalist and was known for holding some of the best literary salons in San Francisco and Sacramento. She was also one of the first women writers in California, writing novels as well as plays that had long runs in New York and London. Mary also lost a good deal of her husband’s fortune financing theatrical productions. Mary Pacheco died on November 5, 1913 in San Francisco. She is buried at the Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, California.
Bibliography
Books and Articles
- Cook and LaDue, The First Ladies of California, Xlibris Corporation, 2007
- Cummins, Ella Sterling, The Story of the Files: a Review of California Writers and Literature, World’s Fair Commission of California, 1893
- Genini, and Hitchman, Romualdo Pacheco: A Californio in Two Eras, The Book Club of California, 1985
- “Amusements,” A review of Incog, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, September 25, 1891, page 4
