Anne O'Hagan Shinn (August 8, 1869 – June 24, 1933) was an American

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

suffragist Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to vo ...

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

, and writer of short stories, regularly contributing to publications such as ''Vanity Fair'', and ''Harper's''. In particular, she is known for her writings detailing the exploitation of young women working as shop clerks in early 20th Century America.

Early life and education

Anne O'Hagan was born in

Washington, D. C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

in 1869, daughter of Captain John O'Hagan and Mary Fennell O'Hagan. She graduated from

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...

in 1890."Mrs. F. A. Shinn, Writer, Dies at 63," ''The New York Times'' (June 25, 1933): 22.
/ref>

Career

O'Hagan was a member of

Heterodoxy In religion, heterodoxy (from Ancient Greek: , + , ) means "any opinions or doctrines at variance with an official or orthodox position". ''Heterodoxy'' is also an ecclesiastical jargon term, defined in various ways by different religions and ...

, a feminist debating club based in

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village, or simply the Village, is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street (Manhattan), 14th Street to the north, Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the s ...

and she was a founding officer of the Women's Democratic Union. She served on the board of the Equal Suffrage League of New York, and the Women's Suffrage Study Club, among other New York suffrage organizations. She also supported the reform of prohibition laws. O'Hagan was a member of the Protestant

Church of St. Luke in the Fields The Church of St. Luke in the Fields is an Episcopal Church in the United States of America, Episcopal church (building), church at 487 Hudson Street (Manhattan), Hudson Street, between Christopher Street (Manhattan), Christopher and Barrow Stre ...

in Greenwich Village at the same time as

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt ( ; October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the longest-serving First Lady of the United States, first lady of the United States, during her husband Franklin D ...

Confessions of a Professional Woman 1907

As a journalist, O'Hagan was a regular contributor to '' Vanity Fair'', ''

Harper's ''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 ...

'', '' Munsey's'', ''

Collier's } ''Collier's'' was an American general interest magazine founded in 1888 by Peter F. Collier, Peter Fenelon Collier. It was launched as ''Collier's Once a Week'', then renamed in 1895 as ''Collier's Weekly: An Illustrated Journal'', shortened i ...

'', and other popular periodicals, often writing on feminist topics. For example, an article for ''Munsey's'' magazine in 1901 titled "The Athletic Girl," celebrated the entry of women and girls into active recreation, for their long-term health as well as for their release from restrictive clothing and passive pursuits. O'Hagan discusses the differing roles of the spinster and the married woman and how women can choose to be

celibate Celibacy (from Latin ''caelibatus'') is the state of voluntarily being unmarried, sexually abstinent, or both. It is often in association with the role of a religious official or devotee. In its narrow sense, the term ''celibacy'' is applied on ...

and have mature conversations with single men. Of particular interest to her was the exploitation of young women shop clerks. After suffrage, Shinn covered American politics for ''

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 ...

'', including a long interview with the future presidential candidate Alfred E. Smith in 1922. O'Hagan participated in several collaborative fiction projects, where multiple authors would write chapters of a novel or series, including ''The Good Family'' series in ''

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 ...

'' (1907), and ''The Sturdy Oak'' serialized

political novel Political fiction employs narrative to comment on political events, systems and theories. Works of political fiction, such as political novels, often "directly criticize an existing society or present an alternative, even fant ...

in ''

Collier's Magazine } ''Collier's'' was an American general interest magazine founded in 1888 by Peter Fenelon Collier. It was launched as ''Collier's Once a Week'', then renamed in 1895 as ''Collier's Weekly: An Illustrated Journal'', shortened in 1905 to ''Colli ...

'' (1917). O'Hagan was also a prolific writer of short fiction.

Personal life and legacy

Anne O'Hagan is thought to have lived with her mother until she married Francis Adin Shinn in 1908. She is thought to have written an anonymous article that described the problems of a modern single woman who lived with her old-fashioned mother. She died in June 1933, age 63, after a brief illness, in New York City. Her funeral was held in

Litchfield, Connecticut Litchfield is a town in and former county seat of Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 8,192 at the 2020 census. The town is part of the Northwest Hills Planning Region. The boroughs of Bantam and Litchfield are ...

, where she had a country home. The O'Hagan Shinn Scholarship Fund at Boston University was established in 1936 in her memory, for scholarships in English literature.Report of the President, Boston University (1941): 210.
/ref>

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:OHagan Shinn, Anne 1869 births 1933 deaths American feminist writers American short story writers American suffragists American women journalists American women short story writers Boston University alumni Journalists from Washington, D.C.