Baltasar Gracián (1601–1658) was a Spanish prose writer, philosopher, and an active Jesuit. Gracián acquired fame from preaching soon after taking his Jesuit vows. In 1651, he published the fist part of his allegorical novel
El Critcón and the second in 1657, and as a result was exiled to Graus. Gracián then penned
The Art of Worldly Wisdom, a collection of aphorisms that has maintained popularity since its initial publication. He is regarded as the most prominent and respected writer of the Spanish Baroque literary style, Conceptismo.
Eleanor Roosevelt was born in New York City on October 11, 1884. The wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, she wasn’t satisfied with the traditional role of the first lady, and resolved to show the world the first lady’s importance in American politics by actively promoting human, civil, and women’s rights. Following the death of her husband in 1945, Roosevelt went on to serve as delegate to the United Nations General Assembly, representative to the Commission on Human Rights under Harry S. Truman, and chairwoman of the Presidential Commission on the Status of Women under John F. Kennedy. In addition to her political work, Roosevelt is the author of multiple books on her life and experiences, including
This Is My Story,
On My Own, and
The Moral Basis of Democracy. She died on November 7, 1962.
Emily Post (1872–1960) was an author most famous for writing about etiquette. No stranger to living a lavish lifestyle, Post began writing newspaper articles on architecture and interior design. Her first etiquette book,
Etiquette in Society, in Business, in Politics, and at Home (1922), became a bestseller and has since been modernized. In 1946, Post founded the Emily Post Institute, a school that offers resources and education on proper etiquette. Her other work includes the novels
Flight of a Moth and
Purple and Fine Linen.Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was born in New York City on October 11, 1884. She married Franklin Delano Roosevelt on March 17, 1905, and was the mother of six children. She became First Lady on March 4, 1933, and went on to serve as Delegate to the United Nations General Assembly and Representative to the Commission on Human Rights under Harry S. Truman, and chairwoman of the Presidential Commission on the Status of Women under John F. Kennedy. She died on November 7, 1962, at the age of seventy-eight.
Daniel Post Senning is the great-great-grandson of Emily Post and the manager of web development and online content at The Emily Post Institute. He is also a co-author of
Emily Post’s Etiquette,
18th Edition: Manners for a New World. Senning is a presenter of the Emily Post Business Etiquette Seminar series, and has presented to clients around the country. He has appeared on ESPN to discuss draft etiquette, contributed to the
Huffington Post, and has been featured in publications including the
New York Times,
Esquire,
Glamour,
Time, and the
Wall Street Journal. Based in Burlington, Vermont, The Emily Post Institute is one of America’s most unique family businesses. In addition to authoring books, the company hosts emilypost.com and etiquettedaily.com, conducts business etiquette seminars nationwide, and offers custom wedding invitations and social stationery in partnership with M. Middleton. Members of the Post family author columns in the
New York Times, the
Boston Globe, and
Good Housekeeping. The company recently launched e-learning programs that feature business etiquette information. Currently, two generations and five direct descendants of Emily Post and their immediate families are involved with The Emily Post Institute.
