Miss Frances Knowles-Foster

Frances George Knowles-Foster was born on May 15, 1884, in Morton, Yorkshire, England, to Fanny and George Knowles-Foster, a manufacturer. Her father died before she was born; she was raised by her mother and maternal grandmother. She had no siblings and never married. 

Knowles-Foster joined the Society of Women Journalists in July 1912 and was a member until her death in 1926. She served as Vice-Chairman of the council in 1922-23. A freelance journalist, she also published two romance novels, Jehanne of Golden Lips (1910) and The Written Law (1912), as well as Motor Yachting for Women (1922). 

An avid yachter, Knowles-Foster frequently embarked on voyages aboard her yacht, Enchantress. She was the first woman to achieve numerous boating feats, and she advocated for young girls’ participation in sports. Knowles-Foster was a member of the Royal Thames Yacht Club and a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and the American Geographical Society. During a trip to the United States to cover the British-American Cup six-meter yacht races for The Field, she met President Warren G. Harding at the White House.

At the outset of what was to be her final voyage, Knowles-Foster broke a finger and tore a muscle in her arm during a fall onboard. Despite her injuries, high seas, and poor weather, she navigated the Enchantress into harbor. Upon her return home, she fell ill and died on October 21, 1926, at the age of 43. In her will, she left property and money to the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution for the benefit of widows and daughters of Freemasons.