Minna Lewinson (June 28, 1897 – November 19, 1938) was an American journalist and joint winner of the

1918 Pulitzer Prize The following are the Pulitzer Prizes for 1918. Journalism awards *Public Service: **''The New York Times'', for its public service in publishing in full so many official reports, documents and speeches by European statesmen relating to the progre ...

for Newspaper History with Henry Beetle Hough. She is notable as the first woman to win a journalism

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

or work for ''The Wall Street Journal''.

Biography

Lewinson was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1897 and attended

Barnard College Barnard College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college affiliated with Columbia University in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a grou ...

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

to study journalism, earning a B.Litt. She was one of 11 female graduates of the

Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism The Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism is located in Pulitzer Hall on the university's Morningside Heights campus in New York City. Founded in 1912 by Joseph Pulitzer, Columbia Journalism School is one of the oldest journalism sch ...

in 1918, compared to eight men. This was unprecedented at the time, and women were only gaining major access to the school due to a wartime shortage of male journalists. Lewinson and Henry Beetle Hough were jointly awarded the

for Newspaper History for a research paper, "A History of the Services Rendered to the Public by the American Press During the Year 1917''",'' described by the judges as "the best history of the services rendered to the public by the American press during the preceding year". Lewinson was the first woman to win a journalism Pulitzer Prize. The prize was worth $1,000, and the particular prize category was only awarded the one time. Jury notes indicate that the prize was considered for awarding every year from the first ceremony in 1917 through to 1924, however the prize was removed from the rosters in 1925 still with only two recipients; Lewinson and Hough. Lewinson was the first woman hired by the ''Wall Street Journal'', in 1918, working as a

copy editor Copy editing (also known as copyediting and manuscript editing) is the process of revising written material (" copy") to improve quality and readability, as well as ensuring that a text is free of errors in grammar, style, and accuracy. ''The Ch ...

. She left the newspaper in 1923, and no other women were hired by the journal for several more decades. Lewinson also worked as a

copy writer Copywriting is the act or occupation of writing text for the purpose of advertising or other forms of marketing. Copywriting is aimed at selling products or services. The product, called copy or sales copy, is written content that aims to increa ...

, reporter and columnist for ''Daily Investment News,'' and as a reporter for ''Women's Wear Daily''. She died in 1938 at the age of 41 from

Hodgkin lymphoma Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is a type of lymphoma in which cancer originates from a specific type of white blood cell called lymphocytes, where multinucleated Reed–Sternberg cells (RS cells) are present in the lymph nodes. The condition was named a ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lewinson, Minna 1897 births 1938 deaths Pulitzer Prize for History winners The Wall Street Journal people Barnard College alumni American women journalists American women columnists Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism alumni American women historians 20th-century American women Historians from New York (state)