Mary Ellis Peltz

Who was Mary Ellis Peltz?

Mary Ellis Peltz was an American drama and music critic, magazine editor, poet and writer on music. Born Mary Ellis Opdycke, Peltz was educated at the Spence School and Barnard College. At the age of 24 she joined the staff of The New York Sun as assistant music critic. She left the paper in 1924 at the time of her marriage to John DeWitt Peltz. She later worked worked for The Junior League Magazine as a drama critic and published both poetry and articles in a variety of publications; including Harper's Magazine and Poetry. In 1936 she became the first chief editor of Opera News, a position she held until 1957 when she founded the Metropolitan Opera's archives. She served as director of the Met's archives from 1957-1981.