Hulda Friederichs (1856/7 – 1927) was a

Prussian Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...

journalist and writer working in London.

Life

Friederichs was born in

Ronsdorf Ronsdorf is a district of the German city of Wuppertal. It has population of about 22,500. Ronsdorf was first mentioned in 1494, and in 1745 it received its town charter. It was founded only a few years before by Elias Eller when he relocated the ...

in Prussia is 1856 or 1857. She went to school in her home town and in Cologne. By 1881 she was in London. She comes to notice in London where she is on a scheme organised by the University of St Andrews to improve women's higher education. Armed with the first part of this qualification she began work in 1883 at the

Pall Mall Gazette ''The Pall Mall Gazette'' was an evening newspaper founded in London on 7 February 1865 by George Murray Smith; its first editor was Frederick Greenwood. In 1921, '' The Globe'' merged into ''The Pall Mall Gazette'', which itself was absorbed int ...

when she became W.T.Stead's private secretary and she was promoted to "Chief Interviewer". W.T.Stead championed women's rights and she enjoyed the same pay and conditions as her male peers and their close relationship. Friederichs gained the nickname of the "Prussian Governess" and was regarded as "probably the best woman interviewer." She conducted an investigation into women active in the Salvation Army. The staff of the gazette were surprised when it was sold to

William Waldorf Astor William Waldorf "Willy" Astor, 1st Viscount Astor (31 March 1848 – 18 October 1919) was an American-British attorney, politician, businessman (hotels and newspapers), and philanthropist. Astor was a scion of the very wealthy Astor family of ...

. The paper became overnight a conservative publication and the political writers were persona non grata.

Edward Tyas Cook Sir Edward Tyas Cook (12 May 1857 – 30 September 1919) was an English journalist, biographer, and man of letters. Biography Born in Brighton, Cook was the youngest son of Silas Kemball Cook, secretary of the Royal Naval Hospital, Greenwich, ...

who had been the editor at the Pall Mall Gazette was supported by

George Newnes Sir George Newnes, 1st Baronet (13 March 1851 – 9 June 1910) was a British publisher and editor and a founding figure in popular journalism. Newnes also served as a Liberal Party Member of Parliament for two decades. His company, George Newnes ...

to create the

Westminster Gazette ''The Westminster Gazette'' was an influential Liberal newspaper based in London. It was known for publishing sketches and short stories, including early works by Raymond Chandler, Anthony Hope, D. H. Lawrence, Katherine Mansfield, and Saki, an ...

in January 1893. Friederichs was among those who were reemployed by Cook and the Westminster Review achieved a successful launch. She was given free reign to edit a family weekly titled "Westminster Budget" in 1896. The choice of a woman was regarded as an important decision. It was remarkable that Friederichs, a woman, was editing a newspaper. She died in

Wandsworth Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan The London Plan is the statutory spatial development strategy for the Gre ...

at her home on 12 February 1927.

Selected publications

* ''The Life of Sir George Newnes Bart'' * ''The Romance of the Salvation Army, 1907'' * ''The Life of Sir George Newnes'' (1911) * ''In the Evening of His Days, a Study of Mr. Gladstone in Retirement'' * ''The Future of Russia'' - translation

Legacy

Friederichs appears as a character in a crime novel, ''Watchers of the Dead'', by

Susanna Gregory Susanna Gregory is the pseudonym of Elizabeth Cruwys, a Cambridge academic who was previously a coroner's officer. She writes detective fiction, and is noted for her series of mediaeval mysteries featuring Matthew Bartholomew, a teacher of medici ...

aka

Simon Beaufort Susanna Gregory is the pseudonym of Elizabeth Cruwys, a Cambridge academic who was previously a coroner's officer. She writes detective fiction, and is noted for her series of mediaeval mysteries featuring Matthew Bartholomew, a teacher of medici ...

References

: {{DEFAULTSORT:Friederichs, Hulda 1850s births 1927 deaths People from Prussia proper German journalists