Jane Cunningham Croly
| Jane Cunningham Croly | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born | December 19, 1829 Market Harborough, Leicestershire, England |
| Died | December 23, 1901 (aged 72) New York City |
| Resting place | Lakewood Township, New Jersey |
| Pen name | Jennie June |
| Occupation | Author, journalist |
| Spouse | David Goodman Croly (m. 1856) |
| Children | Minnie, Viola, Alice, Herbert |
Jane Cunningham Croly (December 19, 1829 – December 23, 1901) was an American author and journalist, better known by her pseudonym, Jennie June. She was a pioneer author and editor of women's columns in leading newspapers and magazines in New York. She founded the Sorosis club for women in New York in 1868 and in 1889 expanded it nationwide to the General Federation of Women's Clubs. She also founded the Woman's Press Club of New York City.
Jane Cunningham was born in England, the daughter of a Unitarian minister, Reverend Joseph Cunningham, and his wife Jane Scott. The family emigrated to the United States when young Jane was twelve. The family first lived in Poughkeepsie, New York, and later in Southbridge, Massachusetts.
Jane first became interested in journalism while a student; she started by editing the school newspaper. Later, she edited and published the newspaper for her brother's church. By 1855, she had moved to New York in search of full-time journalism work, and some sources say it was there she first used the pseudonym "Jennie June". But other sources say that "Jennie June" was a childhood nickname, given to her by a family friend when Jennie was twelve years old.
After applying to several newspapers and being turned down, she was eventually hired by a publication called Noah's Sunday Times (often erroneously reported as The New York Times, for whom she did not work); this was a publication edited by Mordecai Manuel Noah. At Noah's, she began writing a regular women's column, focusing on such traditional subjects as fashion, cooking, and the arts. She would later recall this time as challenging, since few newspapers wanted to hire a woman at all, and if they did so, it was only in the areas set aside for "women's interests". There was great resistance from male editors about hiring a woman to cover news or do serious reporting outside of what was considered women's sphere.
As a result of her journalism career, she also met her husband, a fellow journalist and editor for the New York Herald; his name was David G. Croly and they were married on St. Valentine's Day February 14, 1856. They had three daughters, Minnie, Viola and Alice, and one son, Herbert David. Herbert Croly went on to a career in journalism, becoming editor of The New Republic magazine. She would later tell interviewers that thanks to her husband, her career in journalism advanced; he hired her at New York World, and her career progressed from then on.
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