EOTO: Jane Cunningham Croly

 Jane Cunningham Croly

Jane Cunnigham Croly was born on December 19, 1829, in Market Harborough, Leicestershire, England. She was the fourth child of Jane Scott and Joseph Howes Cunningham, the latter a Unitarian preacher whose unpopular ideologies caused the family to move to the United States.

In 1841 the family settled in Poughkeepsie, New York but moved around quite a bit. Her family moved to Wappinger’s Falls, New York, Southbridge, Massachusetts and Worcester, Massachusetts. Most of her education in her early life was taught through reading in her father’s personal library, but when she did ultimately go to school she became particularly interested in journalism through editing her school newspaper. 

After her father died in 1852, Jane decided to pursue a career in Journalism at the age of 25. She moved to New York City in search of a full-time job in Journalism. After several rejections, she finally found work at a publication called ‘Noah’s Sunday Times’ which later would become known as ‘Sunday times and Noah's weekly messenger’. She began writing a  women’s column called “Parlor and Side-walk Gossip” under the pseudonym Jennie June, a pen name that she would continue to write under for the rest of her career in Journalism.

In 1856 Jane met David Goodman Croly who was an editor at the New York World, and he hired her to write her collum for the world. Later that year, on February 14, the two were married and Jane became Jane Cunningham Croly. The two would go on to have four children, three daughters, Minnie, Viola, and Alice, and one son, Herbert David. One thing that set jane Cunningham Croly apart from many other women of her time is that she did not allow her aspirations of having a family set her back - and she continued to rise in the Journalism world.

By 1857, “Parlor and Side-walk Gossip” was being sent to papers nationwide. the “Baltimore American” in Maryland, the “Richmond Enquirer” in Virginia, the “Louisville Journal” in Kentucky, and the “New Orleans Delta” in Louisiana all received copies. She is credited with the first woman’s page as well as being the first woman to have a syndicated women’s column.

Jane and her husband moved to Rockford, Illinois in 1859, and there they founded their own paper called the Daily News. However, this paper was not around long and the next year collapsed because of a lack of funding resulting in the Croly’s moving back to New York City with their first daughter Minnie. 

Back in New York City, Jane and her husband went back to working at the world, Jane being in charge of the whole woman’s department. From 1862 to 1872 She managed the woman’s department as well as sent some of her work to other publications like the Weekly Times. She also became the chief staff writer for Mme Demorest’s Mirror of Fashions from its founding in 1860 through its growth into Demorest’s Illustrated Monthly Magazine, up until 1887. During this period as well Jane worked on and off for other publications including Godey’s Lady’s Book Woman’s Cycle (which merged with the Home-Maker in 1890 and then renamed New Cycle in 1893), the Graphic Daily Times, the New York Times, the Messengers to name a few.

Jane Published three novels over her life. The first being in 1864, called  “Jennie Juneiana: Talks on Women’s Topics” which is a collection of her newspaper articles where she shares her opinions on the roles of women inside and outside the home. The next was “Jennie June’s American Cookery Book” in 1866 which was a “domestic manual” for young women as well as a collection of recipes from high profile women of the era, Susan B. Anthony’s recipe for Apple Tapioca Pudding for example. The final was “History of the Woman’s Club Movement in America” which was published in 1898 and was her last work before her death. Two more collections of Jane’s columns were published as well, “For Better or Worse: A Book for Some Men and All Women” (1875), and “Thrown on Her Own Resources” (1891).

Jane is also credited with creating the first women’s press club after she and other female journalists were barred from attending a lecture by Charles Dickens in 1869. She founded Sorosis later that year becoming the first professional women’s club in the United States. The goal was to bring together women from many different fields (art, literature, science, etc.) and within a year of its creation, the club had 83 members.

20 years later it would be Jane that suggest the first women's journalist conference in New York City, bringing together representatives from 61 women’s clubs. At this club that it was decided a constitution for women’s clubs should be made and in 1890, the General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC) was created. In 1901 the GFWC was granted a charter by the United States Congress. Jane also founded the “Women’s Press Club of New York” and was the organization’s first president. 

Towards the end of her life, Jane still was still accomplishing many first for women. She became known as the best known female journalist in America after her column appeared in a newspaper in every state and she was the first woman to teach journalism at a college level In 1892 when she was hired as a professor of journalism and literature at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey.

On December 23, 1901, Jane died at the age of 72 due to heart failure. She was buried in Lakewood, New Jersey, and is known as one of the pioneers of females in journalism and left a lasting mark on the industry.

Sources:

https://www.womenhistoryblog.com/2014/05/jane-cunningham-croly.html

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jane-Cunningham-Croly

https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030702/