Valentine Mathilde Amélie Thomson (3 June 1881 – 15 January 1944) was an influential French journalist, playwright and editor, who was active both in Europe and the United States. Daughter of the left-wing politician
Gaston Thomson
Gaston Thomson (29 January 1848 – 14 May 1932) was a French politician.
Thomson was born in Oran (department), Oran, French Algeria. He was a member of the National Assembly of France, French Chamber of Deputies for the Departments of France, ...
, in 1919 she was a delegate at the
Inter-Allied Women's Conference
The Inter-Allied Women's Conference (also known as the Suffragist Conference of the Allied Countries and the United States) opened in Paris on 10 February 1919. It was convened parallel to the Paris Peace Conference to introduce women's issue ...
which sought to introduce women's issues to the peace process following the end of the
First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. In Paris, in collaboration with her husband, the journalist and screenwriter André Jaeger-Schmidt (1884–1940), she wrote plays which were staged in Paris and the provinces. In the late 1920s she moved to the United States where she wrote about international politics for a variety of papers including 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 ...
'' and ''
Harper's Magazine
''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the United States. ''Harper's Magazine'' has ...
''. She was also known for the ''salons'' she held with prominent figures of her times.
Early life
Valentine Mathilde Amélie Thomson was born on 3 June 1881 in Paris to Henriette Mathilde Elmire (née Peigné) and Gaston Arnold Marie Thomson. Her father was a French politician, serving as a cabinet minister for several years. At one point he served as Minister of the Marine and during
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
was the Minister of Commerce. Thomson's paternal family were natives of
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...
, who migrated to France in the 18th century. Their ship was involved in an accident at sea and the only survivor from her family was a two-year-old boy, Peter Johnson Thompson. Thompson was raised by an aunt in France and eventually gained French citizenship. On her mother's side, she was a great-grandchild of
Adolphe Crémieux
Isaac-Jacob Adolphe Crémieux (; 30 April 1796 – 10 February 1880) was a French lawyer and politician who served as Minister of Justice under the Second Republic (1848) and Government of National Defense (1870–1871). Raised Jewish, he ...
, a brilliant lawyer and government minister. She was also a cousin of
Marcel Proust
Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust ( ; ; 10 July 1871 – 18 November 1922) was a French novelist, literary critic, and essayist who wrote the novel (in French – translated in English as ''Remembrance of Things Past'' and more r ...
. From the time that she was young, Thomson was exposed to politicians and officials and became interested in politics. She also developed solid friendships with celebrated literary figures including
Pierre Loti
Pierre Loti (; pseudonym of Louis Marie-Julien Viaud ; 14 January 1850 – 10 June 1923) was a French naval officer and novelist, known for his exotic novels and short stories.This article is derived largely from the ''Encyclopædia Britannica Ele ...
and
Anatole France
(; born ; 16 April 1844 – 12 October 1924) was a French poet, journalist, and novelist with several best-sellers. Ironic and skeptical, he was considered in his day the ideal French man of letters.Femina'', ''Excelsior'' and ''L'Homme libre''. She became the director of ''La Vie Feminine'' and ''Pandora'', two feminist journals, and was very interested in women's rights. From 1916, she operated the ''Ecole Hoteliaire'' to train women and girls to work in the hospitality industry. The school offered a three-month training period where students learned how to arrange flowers, keep inventories of supplies, perform general housekeeping, serve a meal, set a table, spread a bed, and wash and repair linen. They also had instruction in bookkeeping and courses in English, French and Russian languages. After completing the course, the students were given a six-month internship at a hotel, after which time, they had an examination and the opportunity to earn a diploma.
Thomson met fellow journalist André Jaeger-Schmidt before the beginning of the war and the two were married. In 1919, she led a delegation of 80 women to meet with
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
*'' Præsident ...
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was the 28th president of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. He was the only History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat to serve as president during the Prog ...
to ask for the inclusion of women in the deliberations of the
Paris Peace Conference Agreements and declarations resulting from meetings in Paris include:
Listed by name
Paris Accords
may refer to:
* Paris Accords, the agreements reached at the end of the London and Paris Conferences in 1954 concerning the post-war status of Germ ...
. Just over a week later, when the
Inter-Allied Women's Conference
The Inter-Allied Women's Conference (also known as the Suffragist Conference of the Allied Countries and the United States) opened in Paris on 10 February 1919. It was convened parallel to the Paris Peace Conference to introduce women's issue ...
opened, she began serving as an editor and translator for the conference delegates. The conference lasted from 10 February to 10 April, and at its conclusion Thomson began a tour of the U.S. with
Alice Masaryk
Alice may refer to:
* Alice (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname
Literature
* Alice (''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''), a character in books by Lewis Carroll
* ''Alice'' series, children's and teen books by ...
. The women were part of a lecture conference series directed by the Children's Bureau of the U. S. Department of Labor and were to speak on the impacts of war on children's education, health and welfare.
After she returned to France, Thomson and Jaeger-Schmidt traveled, working as journalists and visiting Bucharest, Russia and Turkey. Upon returning to Paris, they wrote six plays together, after which he turned to filmmaking, and she returned to the political sphere. In the 1930s, she began making annual trips to the United States to foster good relations between the two countries. As the hostess of a diplomatic salon, she was an influential political actor and as a journalist she interviewed people of interest, like
Engelbert Dollfuss
Engelbert Dollfuss (alternatively Dollfuß; 4 October 1892 – 25 July 1934) was an Austrian politician and dictator who served as chancellor of Federal State of Austria, Austria between 1932 and 1934. Having served as Minister for Forests and ...
,
Hitler
Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
, and
Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his overthrow in 194 ...
, on whom she spoke in the United States. In the early 1930s, she began publishing political biographies in English, including one on
Aristide Briand
Aristide Pierre Henri Briand (; 28 March 18627 March 1932) was a French statesman who served eleven terms as Prime Minister of France during the French Third Republic. He is mainly remembered for his focus on international issues and reconciliat ...
, ''Briand—Man of Peace'' (1930), based on a series of interviews with the subject and one on
John Paul Jones
John Paul Jones (born John Paul; July 6, 1747 – July 18, 1792) was a Scottish-born naval officer who served in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War. Often referred to as the "Father of the American Navy", Jones is regard ...
, ''Knight of the Seas'' (1939), based on material from French archival records. She also published a novel, a study of European politics and politicians, and a magazine article on Proust.
Death and legacy
Thomson died on 15 January 1944 at her home 33 rue Barbet-de-Jouy. Her funeral was held on the 19 January at Saint-François-Xavier Church and on the 10th anniversary of her death the church held a memorial service for her.
Awards
*1937: For her ''Le corsaire chez l’impératrice'' she won the Prix Montyon from the
Académie Française
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...