Bessie Louise Pierce (April 20, 1886 – October 3, 1974) was an American historian[1] known for her three-volume work, A History of Chicago.
[2] Pierce was born in Caro, Michigan,[2] and grew up in Waverly, Iowa.
[3] She joined the faculty of the University of Iowa history department under Arthur M. Schlesinger, Sr., who urged her to get a doctorate.
[3] For the Century of Progress in 1933, she wrote As Others See Chicago: Impressions of Visitors, 1673–1933.
[6] Pierce began work on a fourth volume, which was to cover the years 1894 to 1915,[6] but it was never completed.