Olive Byrne

Olive Byrne
Born
Mary Olive Byrne[1]

(1904-02-19)February 19, 1904
Steuben County, New York, U.S.
DiedMay 19, 1990(1990-05-19) (aged 86)[2]
Tampa, Florida, U.S.
Other namesOlive Richard (pen name)
Dotsie
OccupationWriter
Known forInvolvement in the creation of Wonder Woman
Partner(s)William Moulton Marston
Elizabeth Holloway Marston
Children2
Parent(s)Ethel Byrne (mother)
Jack Byrne (father)
RelativesMargaret Sanger (aunt)

Mary Olive Byrne (/bɜːrn/), known professionally as Olive Richard (February 19, 1904 – May 19, 1990),[3] was the polyamorous domestic partner[4][5] of William Moulton Marston and Elizabeth Holloway Marston. She has been credited as an inspiration for the comic book character Wonder Woman.

Byrne was the daughter of Ethel Byrne, the Progressive Era activist who opened the first birth-control clinic in the United States with her sister Margaret Sanger.[3]

  1. ^ "Ancestry Library Edition". Search.ancestrylibrary.com. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
  2. ^ "Obituaries". Tampa Bay Times. 22 May 1990. Retrieved 2 September 2020. (“RICHARD, OLIVE BYRNE, 86, of Tampa, died Saturday (May 19, 1990) at St. Joseph's Hospital. She was born in Corning, N.Y.”...)
  3. ^ a b Lepore, Jill (October 2014). "The Surprising Origin Story of Wonder Woman". Smithsonian.com. Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
  4. ^ Berlatsky, Noah (18 October 2014). "The Free-Love Experiment That Created Wonder Woman". The Atlantic. …the Marstons had a polyamorous relationship…
  5. ^ Gibbs, Constance (18 July 2017). "Wonder Woman creator's polyamorous relationship the focus of new biopic trailer". New York Daily News. The film explores the polyamorous and radically sexual relationship Marston, Elizabeth and Byrne shared until his death in 1947.