Charlotte Curtis
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Charlotte Murray Curtis (December 19, 1928 – April 16, 1987) was an American journalist, columnist and editor at ''The New York Times''.


Career

Curtis worked as a
reporter A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...
and society
editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, a ...
for the ''Columbus Citizen'' for 11 years, and at ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' for 25 years. She began her career at the ''Times'' as a fashion reporter in 1961, and two years later was assigned to the "society beat," rising to editor of the Family/Style section by 1965. She transformed the traditional women's pages through her emphasis on current news and "lively writing." In 1974, she became an associate editor of the ''Times'' in charge of the
Op-Ed An op-ed, short for "opposite the editorial page," is a type of written prose commonly found in newspapers, magazines, and online publications. They usually represent a writer's strong and focused opinion on an issue of relevance to a targeted a ...
Page, a position she held until 1982. Her name appeared on the ''Times'' masthead, the first woman to be included with the senior editors. Her column of social commentary ran from 1982 to June 1986. At the ''Columbus Citizen'', Curtis honed her skills as a writer, analyst and researcher, sometimes using humor "to the dismay of her subjects." While she was editor at the ''Times'', she wrote articles for ''Harper's'' and ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
,'' and a book, '' The Rich and Other Atrocities'', published by
Harper and Row Harper is an American publishing house, the flagship imprint of global publisher HarperCollins, based in New York City. Founded in New York in 1817 by James Harper and his brother John, the company operated as J. & J. Harper until 1833, when ...
in 1976.


Legacy

Journalist
Emily Yoffe Emily J. Yoffe (born October 15, 1955) is an American journalist and contributing writer for ''The Atlantic''. From 1998 to 2016 she was a regular contributor to ''Slate'' magazine, notably as Dear Prudence. She has also written for ''The New Y ...
describes her as "both the first woman on the masthead of ''The New York Times'' and one of the last women to always be the only woman in the room in the world of big-time
journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree of accuracy. The word, a noun, applies to the journ ...
", and says she was "one of those rare print journalists who are as famous as the famous people she profiled".


Personal life

Curtis was born December 19, 1928, the daughter of George Morris and
Lucile Atcherson Curtis Lucile Atcherson Curtis (1894–1986) was the first woman in what became the U.S. Foreign Service. Specifically, she was the first woman appointed as a United States Diplomatic Officer or Consular Officer, in 1923; the U.S. would not establish t ...
, in
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
, Illinois. She graduated from
Columbus School for Girls Columbus School for Girls (CSG) is a Private school, private, all-girls college-preparatory Country Day School movement, day school located in Bexley, Ohio, United States, an enclave of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus. It serves students from 3 years ol ...
and attended
Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States. The college be ...
, majoring in United States history. Curtis was married twice, first in 1950 to one Dwight L. Fullerton, whom she later divorced. In 1972 she was married to Dr. William E. Hunt, a professor and director of neurologic surgery at the College of Medicine at
Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...
. Curtis died of cancer on April 16, 1987, at Ohio State University Hospital at the age of 58.


Further reading

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References


External links


Papers of Charlotte Curtis, 1928-1987 (inclusive), 1950-1981 (bulk).Schlesinger Library
Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University. {{DEFAULTSORT:Curtis, Charlotte 1928 births 1987 deaths The New York Times editors Vassar College alumni Writers from Columbus, Ohio American women columnists Journalists from Chicago 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American women writers Deaths from cancer in Ohio Columbus School for Girls alumni