Caroline King Duer Papers

Caroline King Duer, 1865 - 1956, was born into a society family in New York City in 1865. She was the sister of Alice Duer Miller, 1874 - 1942, a Barnard College alumna and Trustee. She was educated at Bishop Doane’s school of Saint Agnes in Albany, New York. Following her schooling, she was sent to study nursing at Bellevue Hospital. Caroline worked primarily as a writer, and her work was published in prominent magazines of the time, such as Vogue, Scribner’s, Harper’s, Smart Set, and Everybody’s. She also collaborated on writing projects with her sister, who later became a notable poet.

In 1915, Caroline traveled to France and worked as a nurse in the bandage room at the Ris-Oranges hospital near Fontainbleau, France. Following the end of World War I, Caroline returned to the United States, and continued working in a hospital as a flu nurse. Eventually, she returned to New York, and began working for Vogue where she stayed for twelve years, rising to editor of the silverware and house furnishing sections. She retired in 1937.

In 1941 following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Caroline attempted to find hospital work again, in New York City, but was refused on account of her age. However, she was able to find night work at the Travellers Aid canteen in Grand Central Station. After the war ended, Caroline returned to writing. She passed away in 1956, at the age of 89.