Katharine Ingham was born on August 15, 1902, in Middletown, Connecticut, to Charles Samuel Ingham and Clara Louise Northup Ingham. Her father, a headmaster at Governor Dummer Academy in South Byfield, Massachusetts, for 23 years, later taught at Yale University and served five terms in the Connecticut State Legislature.
Growing up in South Byfield, Katharine was the only girl student allowed to attend her father's school. She later attended Centenary Collegiate Institute, a co-educational preparatory school in Hackettstown, New Jersey. Katharine did not pursue higher education, instead, began working at the age of 18 as an entertainment journalist for the Boston Traveler.
She married Thomas Stewart Brush, the son of a wealthy newspaper publisher in Ohio, and moved to Liverpool, Ohio. To alleviate her boredom, Katharine started writing, and her short story "Night Club" received an O. Henry Award honorable mention in 1927. Two years later, "Him and Her" won the O. Henry "Best Short Short" Award of 1929.
Katharine's marriage ended amicably in 1929 due to geographical differences. She later married Hubert Charles Winans, a New York banker, but the marriage was a "trial" and they maintained separate residences. The couple eventually divorced after nearly twelve years of marriage.
Katharine published numerous short stories in magazines like Harper's, College Humor, and Cosmopolitan, some of which were collected in her book "Night Club" (1929). Her short stories, such as "Good Wednesday", "Football Girl", and "The Birthday Party", are among her most well-remembered works.
Katharine's novels, including "Young Man of Manhattan" (1930) and "Red Headed Woman" (1931),were the most successful. Her other books include "Glitter" (1926),"Little Sins" (1927),"Other Women" (1933),"Don't Ever Leave Me" (1935),"This Is On Me" (1940),"You Go Your Way" (1941),"The Boy from Maine" (1942),"Out of My Mind" (1943),"This Man and this Woman" (1944),and "When She was Bad" (1948).
Katharine Brush passed away on June 10, 1952, at St. Luke's Hospital in New York, after a several-month illness. She was survived by her son, Thomas Stewart Brush Jr., who went on to become a managing director of the Metropolitan Opera Association in 1978.
