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Clara Savage Littledale (1891–1956) was an editor, writer, and reporter known for her work for '' Good Housekeeping Magazine'' and '' Parents Magazine''.


Early life

Clara Littledale was born Clara Savage on January 31, 1891 Clara Littledale Savage Papers, 1903–1982: A Finding Aid.
A-157. Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
in
Belfast, Maine Belfast is a city in Waldo County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 6,938. Located at the mouth of the Passagassawakeag River estuary on Belfast Bay and Penobscot Bay. Belfast is the county seat of ...
.Littledale, Clara Savage. Edited by Barbara Sicherman, 1934– and Carol Hurd Green, 1935–; in Notable American Women: The Modern Period (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1980), 458–459 She was the youngest of five children born to Arthur and Emma (Morrison) Savage, who were of Scottish and Irish ancestry. Arthur Savage was a well educated man, fluent in Latin and Hebrew, who had once been a
Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...
minister but had changed his denominational affiliation to become a Unitarian in the late 1870s. Shortly after Clara was born, he moved the family to
Medfield, Massachusetts Medfield is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,799 according to the 2020 United States Census. It is a community about southwest of Boston, Massachusetts, which is a 40-minute drive to Boston's fina ...
where he became a Unitarian minister. Clara attended school in Medfield, Massachusetts, but graduated from high school in
Plainfield, New Jersey Plainfield is a city in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, known by its nickname as "The Queen City."
, where the Savage family moved upon Arthur Savage’s retirement. Her brother in-law and editor for the
New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com. It was establishe ...
, Charles Selden, inspired Clara's interest in journalism, and she wrote for her high school's magazine.


Career

Clara Littledale attended
Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smith (Smith College ...
in
Northampton, Massachusetts The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population of Northampton (including its outer villages, Florenc ...
, where her interest in journalism continued. While a Smith student, she was a member of the college's Press Board, and wrote articles for major newspapers, including the
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
, before graduating in 1913. Shortly after graduating, Clara tried her hand at a career in teaching, but was encouraged by a school principal who insisted that she wanted to be a writer and facilitated her career change. She was shortly hired by the
New York Evening Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com. It was establishe ...
as their first ever woman reporter, and worked to report on suffrage conventions and parades.Mrs. Littledale, Magazine Editor, Head of Parents’ Since 1926 Dies at 64 — Sought to Improve Family Life
10 January 1956. New York Times.
Not long after being hired, she was promoted to the position of editor of the woman's page. She stayed at the New York Evening Post for only one year. In 1914, Littledale accepted the position of press chairman for the
National American Woman Suffrage Association The National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) was an organization formed on February 18, 1890, to advocate in favor of women's suffrage in the United States. It was created by the merger of two existing organizations, the National ...
(NAWSA). While in that position, Littledale frequently attended and observed suffrage meetings and marched in parades; later in life she would express regret for carrying a banner that read: "If Idiots and Morons Can Vote, Why Can't I?" By 1915, Littledale's time as press chairman for NAWSA had proved her distaste for publicity work and she left the position to accept a new job as associate editor for Good Housekeeping, where she reported on politics in Washington D.C from a woman's perspective. When
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fight ...
began, Littledale was posted to
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
as a reporter for Good Housekeeping, where she reported on the war from a woman's perspective. After six months, her superiors at Good Housekeeping ordered her to return home, to which she famously responded with a telegram that read "Resigning and Remaining."Clara Littledale Savage.
7 September 1937. Lewiston Daily Sun.
Clara Littledale returned to the United States in 1920, at which time she married her former coworker at the ''Evening Post'' Harold Aylmer Littledale, a
Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had ma ...
-winning reporter who would eventually go on to become the editor of the New York Times. Rosemary Littledale, their daughter, was born in 1922. Clara Littledale continued to write free-lance stories centered themes of marriage and family life, and they were published in journals such as Good Housekeeping,
The New Republic ''The New Republic'' is an American magazine of commentary on politics, contemporary culture, and the arts. Founded in 1914 by several leaders of the progressive movement, it attempted to find a balance between "a liberalism centered in hum ...
, and
McCall's ''McCall's'' was a monthly American women's magazine, published by the McCall Corporation, that enjoyed great popularity through much of the 20th century, peaking at a readership of 8.4 million in the early 1960s. It was established as a small- ...
. George J. Hecht, founder of ''Children, the Magazine for Parents'' watched Clara Littledale's career with interest, and approached her multiple times about becoming the managing editor of his magazine. She initially refused him to raise her daughter, Rosemary, but eventually agreed to the work if she could work in the office four days a week and spend three days at home with her children. In 1929, the magazine changed its name to ''Parents Magazine'', and Clara Littledale went on to hold the position of editor for thirty years until her death."Parents Magazine". Encyclopedia of Children and Childhood in History and Society. In her capacity as editor, Clara Littledale wrote often about topics such as discipline,
sex education Sex education, also known as sexual education, sexuality education or sex ed, is the instruction of issues relating to human sexuality, including emotional relations and responsibilities, human sexual anatomy, sexual activity, sexual reproduc ...
, and character building, and wanted what she wrote to be accessible to the average person. Her parenting philosophy was for parents and children to get along, and as such she advised parents not to be too serious and disciplinarian. She supported parents using their own common sense, and encouraged them not to rely too heavily on the advice of experts, but she often included scientific research on childhood development in her writing. Both Littledale and Hecht were progressives, and as such used their platform to advocate against
child labor Child labour refers to the exploitation of children through any form of work that deprives children of their childhood, interferes with their ability to attend regular school, and is mentally, physically, socially and morally harmful. Such ...
, as well as for better vocational guidance and training, school lunch programs, nursery and play schools, as well as Federal aid for education. ''Parents Magazine'' was incredibly successful under her leadership, reaching one million subscribers by 1946, distributing two million study outlines to mothers' clubs, Parent Teacher Associations, and child study groups, and publishing book-length advice manuals. In her position as editor of ''Parents Magazine'', Littledale also spoke often on the radio and became a familiar voice there, and as such broadened her audience significantly. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, Littledale raised funds for refugee children from Europe, and held memberships in the Child Study Association of America, the American Association for
Adult Education Adult education, distinct from child education, is a practice in which adults engage in systematic and sustained self-educating activities in order to gain new forms of knowledge, skills, attitudes, or values. Merriam, Sharan B. & Brockett, Ral ...
, the National Commission for Mental Hygiene and the National Council of Parent Education.


Plane crash

In February 1941, Clara and Harold Littledale boarded an
Eastern Airlines Eastern Air Lines, also colloquially known as Eastern, was a major United States airline from 1926 to 1991. Before its dissolution, it was headquartered at Miami International Airport in an unincorporated area of Miami-Dade County, Florida. E ...
plane in order to take a holiday to Mexico.Hecht, G. J., & Clara, S. L. (1941, 05). Mrs. Littledale is doing nicely, thanks! Parents' Magazine, 16, 40. The plane crashed near
Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...
shortly after midnight on February 27. In the days after the crash, Clara Littledale dictated a report of the crash for ''Parents Magazine'', in which she recounted her realization that the plane was crashing, being pinned under three pine trees, and the several uninjured passengers who left to form a rescue party, which returned at 6 A.M. the following morning. Clara Littledale was relatively unscathed, but her husband Harold was permanently paralyzed. Their already strained marriage became untenable as a result, and they divorced in 1945.


Death and legacy

In 1947, Clara Littledale was diagnosed with cancer, but she continued to work for Parents Magazine through a series of operations and chronic pain. She participated in many events and engagements despite her diagnosis, including attending the
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 180 ...
Conference on Family Life in 1948, speaking at the Mental Hygiene Society Child Welfare Conference in 1949, taking a transcontinental tour in 1950, and traveling to
Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only ...
as a guest of the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
in 1953. Clara Littledale died in 1956 in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
having never retired. Her papers are held by Schlesinger Library in
Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...
.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Littledale, Clara Savage 1891 births 1956 deaths American magazine editors American reporters and correspondents American women journalists Journalists from Massachusetts Smith College alumni 20th-century American journalists 20th-century American women