Susan E. Dickinson (August 25, 1832 – November 16, 1915) was an American journalist and the older sister of lecturer Anna Elizabeth Dickinson. She wrote for a number of New York, Philadelphia, and regional Pennsylvania newspapers. In her early career, she contributed essays and was a correspondent during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. She is noted for her articles about the coal mining industry, particularly the management-labor strife during the late 19th century. She also wrote about

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

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

, art, and history. She became an associated editor of ''The Scranton Truth''. Dickinson was the sister of 19th-century lecturer Anna Elizabeth Dickinson, with whom Susan lived in at the height of Anna's fame. When Dickinson developed a stable career as a journalist, Anna moved into her house. During that time, she was attacked by Anna. Dickinson had her committed to the

Danville State Hospital Danville State Hospital in Danville, Pennsylvania is a mental health facility operated by the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare. It was Pennsylvania's third public facility to house the mentally ill and disabled. History Danville State Hos ...

. Anna was then removed to Interpines sanitarium. Anna sued her sister and newspapers. After having won her legal battle, the sisters never spoke to each other again.

Early life

Susan Evelyn Dickinson, born on August 25, 1832 in

Wernersville, Pennsylvania Wernersville is a borough in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,494 at the 2010 census. Geography Wernersville is located at (40.329941, -76.080701). History In the late 19th century and early 20th century, Wer ...

, was the oldest child of Quakers and abolitionists John and Mary Dickinson. She had three brothers—John, Edwin, and Samuel—and her youngest sibling was her sister, Anna Elizabeth Dickinson. Her father, an abolitionist and merchant, died of a heart attack in 1844, leaving the family financially challenged. Dickinson attended the

Friends school Friends schools are institutions that provide an education based on the beliefs and testimonies of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). This article is a list of schools currently or historically associated with the Society of Friends, reg ...

in Philadelphia, after her family moved to the city. She also attended Westtown boarding school. She was a talented pianist.

Career

Dickinson became a teacher at the Friends school at the age of 16. She taught in the Philadelphia public schools beginning when she was 17 years of age. Although, she did not enjoy being an educator, she led classrooms into the 1860s. Interested in writing, she published poetry in the ''

Boston True Flag The ''Boston True Flag'' (1851-1908) or ''True Flag'' was a weekly fiction periodical published in Boston, Massachusetts, in the 19th century. Contributors included Francis A. Corey, Susan E. Dickinson, Fanny Fern, Louise Chandler Moulton, Olive ...

'', ''

The Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine, currently published six times a year. It was issued weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963, then every two weeks until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely c ...

'', and journals by the beginning of the

. She used the pseudonyms "Ada Vernon, "Violet May", and "Effie Evergreen". She also wrote essays that were published in ''

New York Herald The ''New York Herald'' was a large-distribution newspaper based in New York City that existed between 1835 and 1924. At that point it was acquired by its smaller rival the ''New-York Tribune'' to form the '' New York Herald Tribune''. His ...

'' and ''

The Philadelphia Press ''The Philadelphia Press'' (or ''The Press'') is a defunct newspaper that was published from August 1, 1857, to October 1, 1920. The paper was founded by John Weiss Forney. Charles Emory Smith was editor and owned a stake in the paper from 1880 un ...

''. During the war, she was the Washington, D.C. correspondent for the ''New York Tribune''. She wrote biographies and obituaries for the ''New York Herald'' from 1874 to 1881 and her first book was a memoir of a friend. After 1872, Susan worked in

West Pittston, Pennsylvania West Pittston is a borough in the Greater Pittston area of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located on the Susquehanna River (opposite of Pittston City). In 2020, the population was 4,644. The town once produced mine screens, g ...

, covering stories about the labor and management strife in the coal mining industry. She regularly visited local mines and breakers to perform research among the coal miners. She also wrote about women's rights, the

suffrage movement Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

, art, and history by 1880. Her stories were published weekly in ''The Philadelphia Press'', ''

New York Graphic The ''New York Evening Graphic'' (not to be confused with the earlier ''Daily Graphic)'' was a tabloid newspaper published from 1924 to 1932 by Bernarr Macfadden. Exploitative and mendacious in its short life, the ''Graphic'' exemplified tabloid ...

'', and ''New York Herald'' newspapers. She also wrote for ''The Pittston Gazette'', '' Scranton Times,'' ''The Wilkes-Barre Record,'' ''

The Scranton Tribune ''The Scranton Times-Tribune'' is a morning newspaper serving the Scranton, Pennsylvania, area. It is the flagship title of Times-Shamrock Communications and has been run by three generations of the Lynett-Haggerty family. On Sundays, the paper ...

'', and the ''

Boston Evening Traveller The ''Boston Evening Traveller'' (1845–1967) was a newspaper published in Boston, Massachusetts. It was a daily newspaper, with weekly and semi-weekly editions under a variety of ''Traveller'' titles. It was absorbed by the '' Boston Herald'' ...

''. She was said in the ''Wyoming Valley History'' (1880) to have done "more than any other writer to present to the world the bright and best side of life in the coal regions." Dickinson wrote "Women in Journalism", which was published in 1891 in ''Women's Work in America'' by editor

Annie Nathan Meyer Annie Nathan Meyer (February 19, 1867 – September 23, 1951) was an American author, an anti-suffragist, and a promoter of higher education for women who founded Barnard College. Her sister was the activist Maud Nathan and her nephew the autho ...

and in a handout for the

World's Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair) was a world's fair held in Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordi ...

, entitled ''The National Exposition Souvenir: What America Owes to Women''. In 1893, she was hired by ''The Scranton Truth'' as an associated editor. She also continued to write about a wide range of topics.

Personal life

As a young woman, she was overshadowed by the success of her younger sister's career as a lecturer. When Anna purchased a house on Locust Street in Philadelphia, Dickinson became a caretaker for her mother and managed the household, while also writing essays for newspapers. She was described as "witty, intuitive and incisive in speech" by Susan B. Anthony, one of the people in Anna's social circle. Others that visited the Dickinson home were Henry Ward Beecher,

Horace Greeley Horace Greeley (February 3, 1811 – November 29, 1872) was an American newspaper editor and publisher who was the founder and newspaper editor, editor of the ''New-York Tribune''. Long active in politics, he served briefly as a congressm ...

and Whitelaw Reid. In the 1870s, Anna had difficulty making a career as a lecturer and at her attempts at acting. She had to sell her house. After 1872, Susan and her mother moved to West Pittston, Pennsylvania, where she was able to build a successful career as a journalist. Anna moved into her mother and sister's house in 1883, having had problems with mental instability and illness. She was not well received by the community, and she did not enjoy living in what she called a "duck-puddle of a country village". She particularly did not like gossip, but she provided fodder for her neighbors, due to her pretentious behavior and eccentric clothing. On May 12, 1889, Dickinson's 95-year-old mother died in West Pittston, Pennsylvania. She was said to have been an invalid for years and cared for by her daughters, writer Susan and lecturer Anna. Mary remained a Quaker her entire life, but Susan converted to the Episcopal religion when she was a young woman. She often gave to charities in the area. By 1891, Anna attacked Susan, became despondent, and suffered a nervous breakdown. Susan had her committed to the

. Anna filed lawsuits in 1895 against the physicians and Dickinson for having her committed, and in 1897 was considered sane. The sisters never spoke again. In 1893, Dickinson moved to Scranton, where she lived the remainder of her life. Dickinson died of pneumonia in Scranton on November 16, 1915, at 83 years of age. She was buried at the

Glen Dyberry Cemetery Glen Dyberry Cemetery is located in Honesdale, Pennsylvania. Description The cemetery, alongside the Dyberry Creek, was granted organization in 1854 and features meandering pathways, hillside plots, and many ornamented burial markers. The cemete ...

in Honesdale, Pennsylvania. Dickinson's brother, John, a Methodist minister and professor at

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

, died a few years before Dickinson. Her brother Samuel, who was an Episcopal minister, died before that. Anna was the sole-surviving sibling at Susan's death.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dickinson, Susan E. 1832 births 1915 deaths American women journalists American Quakers Activists from Philadelphia People from Luzerne County, Pennsylvania American suffragists War correspondents of the American Civil War Women war correspondents Wikipedia articles incorporating text from A Woman of the Century Journalists from Pennsylvania 19th-century American journalists 19th-century American women writers