Katherine Leckie

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Katherine Leckie, star newspaper woman and publicity expert, city editor of Food Conservation Section of the Food Administration)

Katherine Leckie (1860 - July 22, 1930)[1] was a Canadian-American journalist, editor, and active suffragist. She served as publicist for Rosika Schwimmer, was press agent for the Ford peace expedition of 1915–16, and worked for the United States Food Administration during World War I as a news editor.

Early life and education[edit]

Katherine Leckie was born in Kingston, Canada West, daughter of William Alexander Leckie and Evalyn McKee Leckie. She was raised in Chicago, Illinois.[2]

Career[edit]

Katherine Leckie, public relations and press manager for the Henry Ford Peace Expedition (1915)

Leckie was a journalist who first came to prominence in Chicago, covering the imprisonment of Emma Goldman.[3] She was one of the first women reporters with the City News Bureau of Chicago,[4] and wrote about the muckraking work of Ella Reeve Bloor,[5] the hazards of city life for young women,[6] and the murder of Avis Linnell,[7] among other news topics of the day. She also regularly covered fashion,[8] and the New York stage.[9]

Leckie was a reporter for the Chicago Chronicle, the Chicago American, and the New York Evening Journal. She held editorial positions on the magazines The Delineator (1907–1908), Woman's Magazine (1908–1912) and The Housekeeper (1913).[10][11]

Leckie expanded into the field of publicity and consulting, opening her own public relations agency in New York City. One of her first prominent clients was Rosika Schwimmer, whose 1914 speaking tour she managed. In 1915–16, Leckie served as press agent for the Henry Ford Peace Expedition, working closely with Louis P. Lochner.[12] The following year, she was recruited as an editor for the United States Food Administration's daily news service.[13][14]

Leckie was a member of Heterodoxy, a feminist debating group based in Greenwich Village;[15] she was also a member of the Woman's Political Union, the Chicago Political Equality League, and the Woman's Press Association.[16]

Personal life[edit]

Leckie had a close relationship with Clarence Darrow when both were living in Chicago.[17][18]

Leckie died on July 22, 1930. The papers of Katherine Leckie are archived in the New York Public Library.[19]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Katherine Leckie, Former Newspaper Writer, Dead". Chicago Tribune: 14. 1930. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  2. ^ Woman's Who's Who of America (American Commonwealth Company 1914): 482.
  3. ^ Emma Goldman, Living My Life (Courier Corporation 2012): 302. ISBN 9780486122281
  4. ^ A. A. Dornfield, Tom Vickerman, and Archibald Leckie, Behind the Front Page: The Story of the City News Bureau of Chicago (Academy Chicago Publications 1983): 49. ISBN 9780897330701
  5. ^ Katherine Leckie, "Here are Some of the Revolting Facts the Roosevelt Investigators Discovered in Packingtown" Albuquerque Evening Citizen (June 5, 1906): 1. via Newspapers.com Open access icon
  6. ^ Evelyn Leckie, "Young Girls Lost in Vortex are Dazzled by Vortex of False Lights" Evening Star (July 9, 1906): 1. via Newspapers.com Open access icon
  7. ^ "We Will Always Have Girls Like Avis Linnell and Men Like Rev. Richeson" Winnipeg Tribune (January 18, 1912): 13. via Newspapers.com Open access icon
  8. ^ Katherine Leckie, "The Very Newest Shape" The Pittsburg Press (March 22, 1905): 13.
  9. ^ Katherine Leckie, "The New York Stage" The Pittsburg Press (December 4, 1904): 35.
  10. ^ "Katherine Leckie Papers". Manuscripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  11. ^ "Women of the Fourth Estate: Famous Reporters of the Fair Sex on New York Newspapers" Norwalk Hour (April 3, 1908): 6.
  12. ^ "Eternal Bickerings Are Bringing Ford Peace Expedition Near an End" Harrisburg Telegraph (January 19, 1916): 1. via Newspapers.com Open access icon
  13. ^ "Food Administration Enlists Aid of Women Editors" Xenia Daily Gazette (July 16, 1917): 1. via Newspapers.com Open access icon
  14. ^ "Hoover Calls Prominent Aid: Men and Women of Affairs Volunteer to Serve on Staff" Washington Herald (August 20, 1917): 3. via Newspapers.com Open access icon
  15. ^ Inez Haynes Gillmore Papers, 1872-1945: A Finding Aid Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute.
  16. ^ Woman's Who's Who of America (American Commonwealth Company 1914): 482.
  17. ^ John A. Farrell, Clarence Darrow: Attorney for the Damned (Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group 2012): 88. ISBN 9780767927598
  18. ^ J. Anthony Lukas, Big Trouble: A Murder in a Small Western Town Sets Off a Struggle for the Soul of America (Simon & Schuster 2012): 322. ISBN 9781439128107
  19. ^ Katherine Leckie Papers New York Public Library, MSS Col 6304.
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