Anne O’Hare McCormick, half-length portrait, seated at a desk covered with maps, facing right, 1941
Anne O’Hare McCormick, half-length portrait, seated at a desk covered with maps, facing right, 1941. Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division, Washington, D.C.
Anne O’Hare McCormick
Mrs. Anne O’Hare McCormick, correspondent and author. University of Texas at Arlington Libraries, Special Collections.
Anne O’Hare McCormick was born in Yorkshire, England, in 1882. Both of her parents were American. Her father was a life insurance salesman, and her mother was a poet and journalist. Shortly after Anne’s birth, her parents moved the family back to the United States, settling in Columbus, Ohio.
Anne attended school and graduated from St. Mary’s College in 1898. She was inspired by her journalist mother to pursue a writing career and took a job editing the Catholic Universe Bulletin, a national magazine for Catholics.
In 1910, Anne married Francis J. McCormick. Francis was an engineer who imported large equipment. Francis regularly traveled to Europe for business, and Anne wanted to join him. She quit her job at the Bulletin, but continued to write as a freelancer. Her articles appeared in magazines like Catholic World, Reader Magazine, Atlantic Monthly, and The Saturday Evening Post.
As Anne gained more experience, she hoped to find steadier work with a larger publication. In 1921, she wrote a letter to the managing editor of The New York Times and asked if she could send him news stories while living in Europe. He accepted her offer and was immediately impressed by her work. She was quickly assigned to write regular pieces describing life in Europe for an American audience.
Anne developed a reputation for thorough reporting and clear writing. Her colleagues often described her as intelligent and observant. Anne was one of the first reporters in the world to argue that Benito Mussolini would successfully rise to power in Italy. While others dismissed the Italian people’s commitment to fascism as temporary, Anne rightly believed that Mussolini’s charisma and public speaking skills ensured the oppressive system gained lasting support.
Anne was an expert networker with a welcoming personality. When she arrived in a new city, she prioritized establishing new contacts. In the years before World War II, she secured interviews with some of the most important leaders in Europe. Her interview list included Neville Chamberlain, Adolph Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Josef Stalin. Anne maintained her subjects’ trust by taking few notes and listening carefully to what they said. Her interviews were more like conversations than formal interviews. Her articles focused on describing the mood of the conversation and her subjects’ personalities. In this way she helped American readers understand the tone of what was happening at the highest levels of government.
Throughout the early 1930s, Anne wrote almost exclusively for The New York Times. In 1935, the Times’s lead publisher, Arthur Hays Sulzberger, invited Anne to join the newspaper’s editorial board. Anne was the first woman to hold this high-profile position at the paper. Arthur assigned Anne to be the Times’s “freedom reporter” and encouraged her to travel the world—especially Europe—and write about places where she believed freedom was threatened.
Anne fulfilled these instructions by writing three world affairs columns for the Times each week. Anne investigated politics, leaders, business, and day-to-day happenings. She visited the highest levels of government and local communities. She wanted Americans to understand what life was like for Europeans of all levels of power and influence. Anne traveled extensively and studied current events so that she could be at the right place at the right time. She was often successful. She witnessed world leaders meeting, nations declaring independence, and armies invading new territories.
Anne’s won the Pulitzer Prize in journalism in 1937 in recognition of her hard work and skillful reporting. Two years later, the National Federations of Business and Professional Women named her Woman of the Year.
All the rulers of Europe have shriveled or aged during the past few years. . . when they are alone, they are tired and baffled men who have paid a heavy price for power.
After the United States entered World War II, Anne continued to report from abroad and provide commentary on what she saw. Many Americans followed her columns and respected her views.
After the war ended, Anne served as a delegate to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1946 and 1948. She also received honorary degrees from several colleges, including Columbia University, New York University, Ohio State University, Smith College, and Wellesley College.
Anne died in New York on May 29, 1954 at the age of 72.
Vocabulary
- Adolph Hitler: German politician and leader of the Nazi Party. Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1934, and Führer (leader) of Nazi Germany from 1934 to 1945.
- Benito Mussolini: Prime minister of the Kingdom of Italy from 1922 to 1943, and Duce (leader) of Fascism from 1919 to 1945.
- Catholic: A person who follows the christian religion of the Catholic Church, which is based in Rome, Italy.
- editorial board: A group of experts who decide on the tone and priorities of their newspaper or publication.
- Franklin Delano Roosevelt: President of the United States from 1933 to 1945.
- honorary degree: An academic degree given by a college or university to a person who has demonstrated mastery of an academic field without completing the necessary coursework. Typically given as a special honor or award.
- Joseph Stalin: General secretary of the Communist Party and leader of the Soviet Union from 1922 to 1952.
- Nazi Party: The far-right, fascist political party in Germany from 1920 to 1945.
- Neville Chamberlain: Prime minister of Great Britain from 1937 to 1940.
- Pulitzer Prize: An annual prestigious American award for achievement in journalism, literature, or music.
- The New York Times: One of the most famous and widely read daily newspapers in America.
- United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO): An agency of the United Nations that promotes peace through education, science, and cultural programs.
Discussion Questions
- Why was Anne’s coverage of Europe so important to the history of World War II? What does this tell us about the influence of the media, particularly national newspapers like The New York Times?
- What made Anne a successful journalist? What personality traits and professional practices helped her achieve her goals?
- Anne was the first woman to sit on The New York Times’ editorial board. Why was this significant and what challenges do you think Anne faced in this role?
- Anne was successful at securing interviews with some of the most important leaders of World War II. What does this tell you about her personality? What do you think it was like to interview these powerful men?
- What does Anne’s appointment as a delegate to UNESCO say about her career after the war? What did she care about? How might her work as a journalist have shaped her decision to take on this responsibility?
Suggested Activities
- APUSH Connection: 7.12: World War II: Mobilization
- Many women found success in a career in journalism. Compare Anne’s life story with those of Nellie Bly, Ida B. Wells, Jovita Idar, and Edith Maude Eaton. How did each woman use her writing to shape public opinion?
- Learn more about America’s politics and popular opinions about Europe in the lead up to World War II through the WWII & NYC curriculum guide. How does this material provide additional context to the challenges Anne faced as she reported on Europe for an American audience?
- Anne developed a professional relationship with President Roosevelt and grew to admire his leadership style. Learn more about Roosevelt’s presidency and the women in his administration by reading the life stories of Eleanor Roosevelt and Mary McLeod Bethune.
Themes
AMERICAN CULTURE
