Society’s Critics: Eleanor M. “Cissy” Patterson

Born into a family where news was always the topic of discussion, Eleanor M. “Cissy” Patterson was destined to be a publisher. Patterson was born on November 7, 1881 to Robert and Elinor Patterson in Chicago, Illinois. Originally named Elinor Josephine Medill Patterson; Eleanor changed the spelling of her first name and was commonly referred to by her childhood nickname, Cissy. Patterson’s grandfather, Joseph Medill, was the mayor of Chicago and owner of the Chicago Tribune, later passed down to her first cousin Colonel Robert R. McCormick. Continuing in the Journalism tradition, Patterson’s older brother Joseph Patterson was the founder of the New York Daily News.

Eleanor “Cissy” Patterson was a socialite. She, along with Alice Roosevelt, and Marguerite Cassini, were labeled the “Three Graces.” The friendship between the “Three Graces,” especially Patterson and Roosevelt, was littered with scandal. Both Roosevelt and Patterson had affairs with Senator Edgar Borah. Patterson social escapades, failed marriage to Count Josef Gizycki, and the tragic death of her second husband (attorney Elmer Schlesinger) mirrored some of the spicy social gossip stories of Patterson’s newspaper, the Washington Times-Herald.

Cissy Patterson’s claim to journalism fame was her revival of the Washington Times-Herald. Patterson persuaded a good friend, William Randolph Hearst, to allow her to take over the paper. Patterson’s style of writing was personal and sharp witted. She possessed conservative political views and opposed President Roosevelt and the New Deal. Patterson’s other endeavors included campaigning for home rule for the District of Columbia and a program for hot-lunches in the District’s school systems. One of the first women to head a major daily newspaper, Patterson introduced flashy headline, scandalous stories, and local gossip. After her death in 1948 the Washington Times-Herald struggled for many years. The paper was later sold to the rival Post, now known as the Washington Post.

Sources:

American Journalist by Donald A. Richie

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/446831/Eleanor-Medill-Patterson

http://www.nndb.com/people/085/000205467/