Alice Maud Head (3 May 1886 – 25 July 1981) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

journalist and businesswoman. She was said to be the highest paid woman when she was editing

Good Housekeeping ''Good Housekeeping'' is an American women's magazine featuring articles about women's interests, product testing by The Good Housekeeping Institute, recipes, diet, and health, as well as literary articles. It is well known for the "Good House ...

and being

William Randolph Hearst William Randolph Hearst Sr. (; April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American businessman, newspaper publisher, and politician known for developing the nation's largest newspaper chain and media company, Hearst Communications. His flamboya ...

's European head.

Life

Head was born to very strict parents in

Notting Hill Notting Hill is a district of West London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Notting Hill is known for being a cosmopolitan and multicultural neighbourhood, hosting the annual Notting Hill Carnival and Portobello Road M ...

in 1886. She was educated at

North London Collegiate School for Girls North London Collegiate School (NLCS) is an independent school with a day school for girls in England. Founded in Camden Town, it is now located in Edgware, in the London Borough of Harrow. Associate schools are located in South Korea, Jeju I ...

and her mother took her to get a job as a typist on the magazine '' Country Life''. Employed to type, she was allowed to write short articles which fell in with her ambition to be a journalist. By the age of 22 George Riddell made her the editor of '' Woman at Home''. In 1917 she was offered a salary of ten pounds a week to become the editor of

Nash's Magazine ''The Pall Mall Magazine'' was a monthly British literary magazine published between 1893 and 1914. Begun by William Waldorf Astor as an offshoot of ''The Pall Mall Gazette'', the magazine included poetry, short stories, serialized fiction, and ge ...

for

organisation. Head was chosen to create a version of the American

magazine for the British market. Head created a number of dummy issues before she felt it was ready. In 1923 she became the assistant editor of the magazine. Head was thrust into notability when

decided to promote Head to be the managing director of

. He had never met her.A Gallery of Women
Archive.org, Retrieved 20 April 2017 She was allegedly the highest paid woman in Europe. She would deputise for Hearst making decisions on his behalf about not just editing but also buying for him

St Donat's Castle St Donat's Castle ( cy, Castell Sain Dunwyd), St Donats, Wales, is a Middle Ages, medieval castle in the Vale of Glamorgan, about to the west of Cardiff, and about to the west of Llantwit Major. Positioned on cliffs overlooking the Bristol Ch ...

, expensive art objects and three giraffes for his zoo. Head remained in charge until 1939. In 1939 she wrote her autobiography ''It Could Never Have Happened''. By 1941 the Hearst empire had peaked and took a new job editing

Homes and Gardens ''Homes & Gardens'' is a British monthly interior design and garden design magazine published by Future plc Future plc is an international multimedia company established in the United Kingdom in 1985. The company has over 220 brands that sp ...

. The following year she was a director of '' Country Life'' magazine. These jobs took her to her retirement in 1949. Head died at her flat in

Kensington Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...

in 1981.

Martin Pugh Martin John Pugh is a British guitarist who came to prominence after joining blues-rock band Steamhammer in 1968, staying with that band through 5 years and 4 albums. The debut Steamhammer album, also known as '' Steamhammer'', was released ...

, ‘Head, Alice Maud (1886–1981)’,

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

, Oxford University Press, 200
accessed 20 April 2017
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Head, Alice Maud 1886 births 1981 deaths People from Notting Hill English journalists