Doris Fleeson: Incomparably the First Political Journalist of Her Time"She was my idol," said columnist Mary McGrory. McGrory, in writing of women, referred to Doris Fleeson as "incomparably the first political journalist of her time." Fleeson was, in fact, the first woman in the United States to become a nationally syndicated political columnist. In 1945, with the encouragement of Henry Mencken, she launched her column. In her career she would write some 5,500 columns during the next twenty-two years. Fleeson's appearance could be disarming. Once at a party Lady Bird Johnson exclaimed, "What a gorgeous dress, Doris. It makes you look just like a sweet, old-fashioned girl." The wife of Senator Stuart Symington interjected, "Yes, just a sweet old-fashioned girl with a shiv in her hand." Carolyn Sayler lives in Lyons, Kansas, ten miles from the town of Sterling where Doris Fleeson was born in 1901. Knowing members of the Fleeson family, she began researching the life of the columnist whose straightforward take on Washington became a daily fix for newspaper readers across the nation. Sayler has a background in journalism as a member of a Kansas newspaper family. She is the author of a history of Manhattan, Kansas, which tells of the town's founding during the Free State struggle, its strong connections with New England, and its abolitionist college, now Kansas State University. |
Contents
8 | |
9 | |
13 | |
22 | |
28 | |
GOLDEN ERA | 35 |
A TABLOID A DAY | 38 |
THE NEWSPAPER GAME | 44 |
BEHIND THE LINES | 131 |
INVASION OF ITALY | 145 |
17 | 151 |
18 | 152 |
LAUNCHING A COLUMN | 156 |
GEORGETOWN | 170 |
MR AVERAGE MAN | 183 |
OUR DORIS | 202 |
Other editions - View all
Doris Fleeson: Incomparably the First Political Journalist of Her Time Carolyn Sayler Limited preview - 2011 |
Common terms and phrases
American Dynasty April arrived August Baruch Beau James began Bess Truman Borah campaign Chicago cited Clark clipping column columnist convention correspondent December Democratic Dewey dinner Doris Fleeson Doris reported Doris wrote editor Eisenhower Eleanor Roosevelt Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Elizabeth FDR Library Fleeson Papers Fleeson to Mencken Franklin friends Georgetown German girl Governor H.L. Mencken Helen Fleeson Hyde Park Ibid January John O'Donnell journalism journalists July June Kansas City Star Kennedy Kimball Lady Landon little Doris Liz Carpenter Lyons Daily magazine March Margaret McCarthy Mencken Letters Mencken to Fleeson Miss Fleeson National newspaper Nixon November NYDN NYPL October party Patterson political President presidential press conference Republican Roosevelt to Doris Seabury Secretary Senator September Smith speech Sterling Bulletin story Street told train Tribune Truman University of Kansas Walker Washington Washington Star week Wendell Willkie White House Wichita Wichita Eagle wife William Willkie woman women writing York Daily