That Quixotic Lady

When Jane McManus was a little girl, her father told her she would make an outstanding lawyer—if only she were a boy. Jane decided then to learn everything a boy could, only better. "That Quixotic Lady" is the fictional story of the life of Jane McManus, a rare female figure in the 1800s.

After her failed marriage to Allan Storm, Jane became associated with some of the most powerful men of the time. In the nineteenth century, it was rare to find a woman who so influenced the politics of the day. From her writings in the New York newspapers, the politicians gauged public reaction. Jane rallied from one cause to another, such as the Texas annexation, the Mexican War, the political sentiment over whether Americans should help the Cubans obtain freedom from Spain, and the annexation of the Dominican Republic. However, these daring undertakings met more failure than success.

Jane McManus Storm Cazneau, a beautiful young woman whose spirit was not broken by failures never ceased to gamble along lines far removed from staid conformity in her quest for an elusive fortune. Her story, "That Quixotic Lady," is one of a remarkable woman whom history failed to remember.