Jennie O. Starkey (ca. 1856 – October 21, 1918) was an American journalist and newspaper editor, the first woman in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

to adopt journalism as a profession. As a staff member of the ''

Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the ''Sunday Free Press''. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primari ...

'', she managed "The Puzzler" department before serving as editor of "The Household", "Fair Woman's World", "The Letter-Box", and "The Sunday Breakfast-Table" departments. She was a member of the board of directors of the Michigan Authors' Association, a charter member of the

Michigan Woman's Press Association Michigan Woman's Press Association (MWPA) was an American professional association for women writers and journalists in Michigan. Founded in 1890, it was active until shortly before World War I, though there was an unsuccessful attempt to revive ac ...

, and president of the Michigan Woman's Press Club.

Biography

Jennie O. Starkey was born in Detroit,

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

, ca. 1856. She was the youngest daughter of Ellen Jane Taylor (Hittell) and Henry Mitchell Starkey, of Detroit. Her father was a journalist and prominent in municipal affairs. In 1855, he became the city editor of the ''Detroit Free Press'', taking over the position from his brother, Richard. Jennie's siblings were Mary (b. 1854) and Harry (b. 1858). In April, 1878, before her graduation from the Detroit high school, she joined the staff of the ''Detroit Free Press'', taking under her control the department known as "The Puzzler". Her abilities outgrew that department, and she was soon made editor of a department known as "The Household", later of "Fair Woman's World", "The Letter-Box", and "The Sunday Breakfast-Table". Her duties became so onerous that she was finally forced to drop the first mentioned of these departments. She was the first woman in Detroit to adopt journalism as a profession. Starkey served on the board of directors of the Michigan Authors' Association. She was one of the charter members of the Michigan Woman's Press Association, ending her affiliation with it when she joined the Michigan Woman's Press Club, of which she served as president in 1894. Starkey was also a member of the

Daughters of the American Revolution The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a person involved in the United States' efforts towards independence. A non-profit group, they promote ...

. Jennie O. Starkey died in Detroit of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

, following an attack of

Spanish influenza The 1918–1920 influenza pandemic, commonly known by the misnomer Spanish flu or as the Great Influenza epidemic, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus. The earliest documented case was ...

, October 21, 1918.

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* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Starkey, Jennie O. 1850s births 1918 deaths Wikipedia articles incorporating text from A Woman of the Century 19th-century American journalists 20th-century American journalists Journalists from Michigan Detroit Free Press people Daughters of the American Revolution people 19th-century American newspaper editors Editors of Michigan newspapers Women newspaper editors Deaths from pneumonia in Michigan