Atkinson was the daughter of a Brooklyn, New York physician. She won three U.S. Women's singles, seven U.S. Women's doubles and three U.S. Mixed doubles titles. Both natives of Maplewood, New Jersey, she and her sister
Kathleen Atkinson partnered to win two women's doubles titles. Also the sisters twice faced each other in the semifinals of the singles competition. She won three mixed doubles titles with
Edwin P. Fischer. In 1896 and 1898, she won the
Niagara International Tennis Tournament. She won the
Canadian Championships three times in a row, 1896, 1897 and 1898. In both 1899 and 1901, Atkinson won the doubles title and reached the singles final at the tournament now known as the
Cincinnati Masters. She won the 1899 doubles title with
Myrtle McAteer (falling to McAteer that year in the singles final) and the 1901 doubles title with
Marion Jones Farquhar (falling in the singles final to
Winona Closterman). In 1918, she married
George B. Buxton and had no children. She was posthumously inducted into the
International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1974. ==Grand Slam finals==