Post by Terry Harbin on Jun 3, 2005 1:27:15 GMT -5
Lilian Lauferty
Beatrice Fairfax (created 1898) was the invention of Arthur Brisbane, the publisher of the New York Evening Journal, and Marjorie Manning, a young reporter who named the fictional Ms. Fairfax and wrote the famous "Advice to the Lovelorn" column for seven years. The popularity of the column waned after Manning left the newspaper business to marry, and in 1915 the Journal's "Girl Reporter," Lilian Lauferty, was handed the Fairfax desk by Brisbane. He reportedly told Lauferty she "was the worst reporter in New York, didn't know news when she saw it, but might like to try and keep it from happening."
Lilian Lauferty born in Indiana in 1882 and educated at Smith College, wrote under the name of Beatrice Fairfax at an auspicious time in history. When World War I shattered what was left of the nineteenth century, "Advice to the Lovelorn" became a forum for the many troubles of both women and men, young and old. Soon William Randolph Hearst syndicated the column through his King Features Syndicate, and Beatrice Fairfax's column could be found on the front pages of many of the nation's newspapers. Lauferty was profoundly influenced by Sigmund Freud and Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science. She seized upon the developing social sciences, rode the wave of women's suffrage, and promoted her vision of a just society through the persona of Beatrice Fairfax. It is estimated that Lauferty's columns were read by forty million readers a day during the years 1916-1919.
Lauferty retired from the column in 1924 when she married James Wolfe, a tenor at the Metropolitan Opera House. During the Depression she lectured widely as the "real" Beatrice Fairfax. Incredibly prolific, she continued to write serials, columns, and articles for newspapers and magazines such as Harper's and Collier's. Lauferty also wrote many of the original "soap operas" for the fledging radio networks. Later in her life she published a number of novels and inspirational writings. The woman who was once the person behind the most famous woman in America died in Florida in 1952. Both Lilian Lauferty and Beatrice Fairfax are today almost completely forgotten.
-Abigail Wright
Miranda Productions, Inc. is working on a documentary about Beatrice Fairfax and Lilian Lauferty. Visit www.mirandaproductions.com for more information.
Beatrice Fairfax (created 1898) was the invention of Arthur Brisbane, the publisher of the New York Evening Journal, and Marjorie Manning, a young reporter who named the fictional Ms. Fairfax and wrote the famous "Advice to the Lovelorn" column for seven years. The popularity of the column waned after Manning left the newspaper business to marry, and in 1915 the Journal's "Girl Reporter," Lilian Lauferty, was handed the Fairfax desk by Brisbane. He reportedly told Lauferty she "was the worst reporter in New York, didn't know news when she saw it, but might like to try and keep it from happening."
Lilian Lauferty born in Indiana in 1882 and educated at Smith College, wrote under the name of Beatrice Fairfax at an auspicious time in history. When World War I shattered what was left of the nineteenth century, "Advice to the Lovelorn" became a forum for the many troubles of both women and men, young and old. Soon William Randolph Hearst syndicated the column through his King Features Syndicate, and Beatrice Fairfax's column could be found on the front pages of many of the nation's newspapers. Lauferty was profoundly influenced by Sigmund Freud and Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science. She seized upon the developing social sciences, rode the wave of women's suffrage, and promoted her vision of a just society through the persona of Beatrice Fairfax. It is estimated that Lauferty's columns were read by forty million readers a day during the years 1916-1919.
Lauferty retired from the column in 1924 when she married James Wolfe, a tenor at the Metropolitan Opera House. During the Depression she lectured widely as the "real" Beatrice Fairfax. Incredibly prolific, she continued to write serials, columns, and articles for newspapers and magazines such as Harper's and Collier's. Lauferty also wrote many of the original "soap operas" for the fledging radio networks. Later in her life she published a number of novels and inspirational writings. The woman who was once the person behind the most famous woman in America died in Florida in 1952. Both Lilian Lauferty and Beatrice Fairfax are today almost completely forgotten.
-Abigail Wright
Miranda Productions, Inc. is working on a documentary about Beatrice Fairfax and Lilian Lauferty. Visit www.mirandaproductions.com for more information.