Draft:Laura Vitray
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Laura Vitray | |
|---|---|
| Born | Laura Yard 13 December 1892 Trenton, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | February 1963 Eaton, New Hampshire, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Bucknell University (attended) Columbia School of Journalism |
| Occupations |
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| Known for | City editor of the New York Evening Graphic |
| Spouses |
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| Children | George Alain Vitray |
Laura Vitray (born Laura Yard; December 13, 1892 – February 1963) was an American journalist, author, and newspaper editor. She served as city editor of the New York Evening Graphic in 1930, reportedly the first woman to hold such a position at a major metropolitan daily newspaper in the United States.[citation needed][1]
Early life and education
[edit]Laura Yard was born in Trenton, New Jersey on December 13, 1892.[citation needed] She attended Bucknell University before pursuing a career in journalism.[citation needed] She worked for newspapers in Trenton and Philadelphia in various capacities.[citation needed]
Career
[edit]Paris correspondent
[edit]In 1918, Vitray traveled to Paris as a correspondent during World War I.[citation needed] She arrived on November 11, 1918, the day the Armistice was signed.[citation needed] From 1918 to 1922, she worked with the Fatherless Children of France organization.[citation needed]
From 1924 to 1929, Vitray worked as a freelance writer for the Paris Bureau of the New York World and for the League of Nations.[citation needed] Her experiences in Paris formed the basis for her book Paris, in Tears and Laughter (1926).
New York journalism
[edit]Vitray returned to the United States in 1929 and joined the New York Evening Graphic, initially working on the copy desk.[citation needed] In 1930, she was appointed city editor of the newspaper. Contemporary reports described her appointment as notable for breaking gender barriers in newspaper management.[1]
After the Evening Graphic closed in 1932, Vitray worked as a reporter for the New York Evening Journal.[citation needed] She covered the Lindbergh kidnapping case in March 1932 and subsequently wrote The Great Lindbergh Hullabaloo (April 1932), which presented controversial theories about the case.[citation needed]
Later career
[edit]Vitray held several editorial positions throughout her career:
- Sunday Editor of The Washington Post (1933–1936)[citation needed]
- Associate Editor of McCall's magazine (1936–1939)[citation needed]
- Editor for the U.S. Office of Education (1939–1940)[citation needed]
- Chief of Public Relations for the United States Children's Bureau (1940–1945)[citation needed]
From 1946 to 1947, she worked in Paris as a representative for the Save the Children Federation.[citation needed] She covered the Paris Peace Conference as an accredited journalist.[citation needed]
During the 1950s, Vitray edited American Girl Magazine and wrote several books for young readers.[citation needed]
Personal life
[edit]While in Paris, Vitray met and married Georges Vitray, a French actor.[citation needed] They had a son, George Alain Vitray, born in 1924.[citation needed] The family moved to New York in 1929, but Georges returned to France due to language barriers affecting his acting career.[citation needed] The couple later divorced.[citation needed]
Vitray later married a third husband, described in contemporary sources as a reporter.[citation needed] She lived in New York and later purchased property in New Hampshire, where she died in February 1963.[citation needed]
Selected works
[edit]- Paris, in Tears and Laughter (1926)
- Pictorial Journalism (1930)
- The Great Lindbergh Hullabaloo (1932)
- Pictorial Journalism (revised edition, 1939)
- Celia, Country Reporter (1958)
- The Questions Girls Ask (1959)
- Fashions for Cinderella (1960)
References
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