Côté, Richard N. 1945–

PERSONAL: Surname is pronounced "Ko-tay;" born June 3, 1945, in Waterbury, CT; son of Norman William (an aerospace tool design engineer) and Annie Mary (a homemaker and journalist) Côté. Education: Butler University, B.A., 1965.

ADDRESSES: Home—Mt. Pleasant, SC. Office—Corinthian Books, P.O. Box 1898, Mt. Pleasant, SC 29465-1898. Agent—Debbie Grosvenor, Literary and Creative Artists Agency, 3543 Albermarle St., NW, Washington, DC 20008. E-mail—dickcote@corinthianbooks.com.

CAREER: Writer, editor, and consultant. Freelance writer, 1971–; freelance photographer and historical researcher in Manitowoc, WI, 1971–79; South Carolina Historical Society, Charleston, project director, field archivist, and historical writer, 1979–80; County of Charleston, SC, director of micrographics, 1982–85; Corinthian Books, Mt. Pleasant, SC, editor-in-chief. Military service: U.S. Air Force, photojournalist, 1965–71.

AWARDS, HONORS: Writing grants from Henry Yaschik Foundation, 1989, and South Carolina's Post-Courier Foundation, 1989–94; Bobby Gilmer Moss Award in History\the Daughters of the American Revolution, 2004, for outstanding contributions to South Carolina history.

WRITINGS:

(With Carol A. Côté) The Genealogists' Guide to She-boygan County, Wisconsin, R.N. Côté Genealogical Publications (Manitowoc, WI), 1977.

The Genealogists' Guide to Charleston County, Wisconsin, Côté Genealogical Publications (Ladson, SC), 1978.

(Compiler) Local and Family History in South Carolina: A Bibliography, Southern Historical Press (Easley, SC), 1981.

(Editor) Michael J. Heitzler, Historic Goose Creek of South Carolina, Southern Historical Press (Easely, SC), 1983.

(Compiler and editor, with Patricia H. Williams) The Dictionary of South Carolina Biography, Southern Historical Press (Easley, SC), 1983.

Ports, Power, and Trade: A History of the South Carolina State Ports Authority, S.C.S.P.A. (Charleston, SC), 1991.

Love by Mail: The International Guide to Personal Advertising, Enigma Books (Silver Spring, MD), 1992.

Jewel of the Cotton Fields: An Architectural and Social History of Secessionville Manor, privately printed by R.N. Côté (Mt. Pleasant, SC), 1995.

Safe House: The Compelling Memoirs of the Only CIA Spy to Seek Asylum in Russia, National Press Books (Bethesda, MD), 1995.

(Reteller) Dorothy Rose Cancilla, Death by HMO: The Jennifer Gigliello Tragedy, Palmerston & Reed (St. Louis, MO), 1998.

(Editor) Robin Higgins Patriot Dreams: The Murder of Lieutenant Colonel Rich Higgins, USMC, Marine Corps Association (Quantico, VA), 1999.

Mary's World: Love, War, and Family Ties in Nineteenth-Century Charleston, Corinthian Books (Mt. Pleasant, SC), 2000.

Mary's World: Love, War, and Family Ties in Nineteenth-Century Charleston, Corinthian Books (Mt. Pleasant, SC), 2000.

(With Edwin B. Martin, Jr.) Stopping the Train, Corinthian Books (Mt. Pleasant, SC), 2000.

Beach Magic, Corinthian Books (Mt. Pleasant, SC), 2001.

The Redneck Riveria (fiction), Corinthian Books (Mt. Pleasant, SC), 2001.

Theodosia Burr Alston: Portrait of a Prodigy, Corinthian Books (Mt. Pleasant, SC), 2002.

Strength and Honor: The Life of Dolley Madison, Corinthian Books (Mt. Pleasant, SC), 2005.

City of Heroes: The Great Charleston Earthquake of 1886, Corinthian Books (Mt. Pleasant, SC), 2006.

Also author of Rice and Ruin: The William Bull Pringles and the Death of the South Carolina Rice Culture, 1800–1884, 1995. Author of "Calumet County Ancestors" and "Manitowoc County Ancestors," genealogy columns in Wisconsin newspapers. Contributor to periodicals, including South Carolina Historical and American Wine Society Journal.

SIDELIGHTS: Richard N. Côté is a writer whose primary interest is the South, including Southern biography, social history and culture, plantation life, and architecture. The author, who has also written fiction, including The Redneck Riveria, is nevertheless best known for his historical works and especially his "Southern" biographies, including Mary's World: Love, War, and Family Ties in Nineteenth-Century Charleston and Theodosia Burr Alston: Portrait of a Prodigy.

In Strength and Honor: The Life of Dolley Madison, Côté draws on numerous primary sources, such as 2,000 letters, and includes ninety-one illustrations and maps to tell the true story of a popular and admired First Lady. The author traces Madison's life from her Quaker upbringing to her interactions in high society and politics. The author also examines Madison's final days, which were spent in relative poverty. In a review in the Library Journal, Theresa R. McDevitt called the biography "a readable, quick-moving portrait that stresses the charisma of this popular First Lady." Booklist contributor Margaret Flanagan noted that the author's "reinterpretation of her life provides a very human profile."

Côté told CA: "Writing is the great passion of my life. I started writing part-time in 1971 and have been writing full-time since 1985. I specialize in book-length projects in the areas of history, biography, social history, and current events. As much as I enjoy writing the books I conceive myself, I equally enjoy my work as a literary midwife. Working as an editor, collaborator, and ghostwriter has gotten me assignments I would never [have] had access to had I stuck only to self-assigned projects.

"I undertake writing and editorial projects in the United States and abroad for individual, corporate, and government clients. I travel anywhere, anytime to write or edit. I have developed a sub-specialty of researching and writing documentary histories of South Carolina's legendary 18th-and 19th-century houses and plantations.

"Good histories and biographies take great amounts of time to research and write properly. Since writing careers are finite, I choose my projects carefully and undertake only those that I can do well, learn from, and complete on time. I have always considered myself a craftsman, not an artist, and I take pride not only in the quality of my work but in the quantity and the fact that I have never missed a deadline.

"My writing is my way to pay back the society which has offered me such a feast of topics to write about. My books also give me the opportunity to share the joy I find when I discover something of enduring value that had previously gone unnoticed or unappreciated. For me, there is nothing in the world more satisfying than the opportunity to create a work of enduring value."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, January 1, 2005, Margaret Flanagan, review of Strength and Honor: The Life of Dolley Madison, p. 805.

Internet Bookwatch, February, 2005, review of Strength and Honor.

Library Journal, January 1, 2005, Theresa R. McDevitt, review of Strength and Honor, p. 123.

Wisconsin Bookwatch, February, 2005, review of Strength and Honor.

ONLINE

Corinthian Books Web site, http://www.bookdoctor.com/corinthian/ (April 28, 2006), brief bio of author.