Jessie Vann: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|African-American teacher and newspaper publisher}} |
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{{Infobox person |
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| birth_name = Jessie E. Matthews |
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| birth_date = February 23, 1885 |
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| birth_place = [[Floradale, Pennsylvania]] |
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| death_date = {{Death date and age|1967|06|07|1885|02|23}} |
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| death_place = [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]] |
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| nationality = American |
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| other_names = |
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| occupation = Owner and publisher of the Pittsburgh Courier, an African-American newspaper |
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== Early life and family == |
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Vann was born Jessie{{efn|Some sources give her first name as Jesse.}} Ellen Matthews in [[Floradale, Pennsylvania]] on February 23, 1885.<ref>{{Cite web|date=1909|title=New York, New York Passen...ew Lists, 1909, 1925-1957|url=https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-95NZ-LD2?referrer=FamilySearch&ipaddress=141.156.180.101&i=449&cc=1923888&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3A242Z-WLR|website=FamilySearch}}</ref><ref name=":0">"Vann, Jesse Matthews (c. 1890–1967)." ''[[Dictionary of Women Worldwide|Dictionary of Women Worldwide: 25,000 Women Through the Ages]]'', edited by Anne Commire and Deborah Klezmer, vol. 2, Yorkin Publications, 2007, p. 1918. ''Gale eBooks''. Accessed 23 Sept. 2021.</ref> After moving to [[Harrisburg, Pennsylvania]], she was a top student at Harrisburg's Central High School and was the only African-American graduate in 1904. Following this, she became a prominent school teacher.<ref>{{Cite book |title=One Hundred Voices: Harrisburg's Historic African American Community, 1850-1920 |publisher=The Digital Press at the University of North Dakota |year=2020 |isbn=978-1-7345068-5-3 |editor-last=Jackson, Jr. |editor-first=Calobe |location=Grand Forks, ND |language=EN |editor-last2=McArdle |editor-first2=Katie Wingert |editor-last3=Pettegrew |editor-first3=David}}</ref> In 1908 she met [[Robert Lee Vann]], when he was a law student and she a kindergarten teacher.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Winters|first=Kelly|url=|title=Women in world history : a biographical encyclopedia|publisher=[[Gale (publisher)|Gale Group]]|year=1999|isbn=0-7876-4080-8|editor-last=Commire|editor-first=Anne|location=United States|pages=|chapter=Vann, Jesse Matthews (C. 1890–1967)}}</ref> They married in 1910,<ref name=":0" /> and shortly thereafter he went into journalism, launching the ''Pittsburgh'' ''Courier''.<ref name=":1" /> |
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== Career == |
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When Robert died in 1940, Jessie Vann inherited the ''Courier'' and served as publisher for the next 23 years.<ref name=":0" /> Her success at the paper made her one of the wealthiest African-American women of the [[World War II]] era, with the paper grossing about $2 million a year by 1945.<ref name=":1" /> Under Vann's direction, the ''Courier'' circulated information about the economic opportunities newly available to African-Americans during the war; later, the paper advocated for the work of the civil rights movement.<ref name=":1" /> |
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Vann also served on a large number of civic boards, including the Pittsburgh chapters of the [[NAACP]] and the [[National Urban League|Urban League]],<ref name=":3">{{Cite news|date=1967-06-08|title=Mrs. Jessie Vann, 82, Ex-Courier Publisher|pages=21|work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85862582/mrs-jessie-vann-82-ex-courier/|access-date=2021-09-23}}</ref> the Newspaper Publishers Association, and the Pennsylvania governor's Committee on Industrial Race Relations, and President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower|Dwight Eisenhower]]’s International Development Advisory Board.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2015-03-22|title=Jesse Vann a quiet giant in Black newspaper history|url=https://newpittsburghcourier.com/2015/03/22/jesse-vann-a-quiet-giant-in-black-newspaper-history/|access-date=2021-09-23|website=New Pittsburgh Courier|language=en-US}}</ref> In 1956 and 1960, she was an alternate delegate-at-large to the [[Republican National Convention]].<ref name=":3" /> The [[Haiti]]an government awarded her the Haitian Legion of Merit and Honor, accompanied by medal and scroll.<ref name=":3" /> |
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As the wartime economic boom ebbed, the paper also declined financially and board members blamed Vann's management.<ref name=":1" /> She retired in 1963, though improving on her leadership proved difficult and the board sold the paper to the ''[[The Chicago Defender|Chicago Defender]]'' in 1965.<ref name=":1" /> |
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== Death == |
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| ⚫ | died June 7, 1967 in [[West Penn Hospital]]. She was 82.<ref>{{cite news |title=MRS. JESSIE VANN, PUBLISHER, WAS 82; Former Owner of the Weekly Pittsburgh Courier Dies |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1967/06/08/archives/mrs-jessie-vann-publisher-was-82-former-owner-of-the-weekly.html |access-date=23 September 2021 |work=The New York Times |date=8 June 1967}}</ref> |
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==Notes== |
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{{notelist}} |
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==References== |
==References== |
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{{reflist}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Vann, Jesse Matthews}} |
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[[Category:1885 births]] |
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[[Category:1967 deaths]] |
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[[Category:20th-century American newspaper publishers (people)]] |
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[[Category:People from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania]] |
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Latest revision as of 19:30, 28 April 2024
Jessie Vann | |
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| Born | Jessie E. Matthews February 23, 1885 |
| Died | June 7, 1967 (aged 82) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation(s) | Owner and publisher of the Pittsburgh Courier, an African-American newspaper |
Jessie Vann (née Matthews, February 23, 1885; died June 7, 1967) was an African-American teacher and newspaper publisher. From 1940 to 1963 she was owner and publisher of the Pittsburgh Courier, a leading weekly African-American newspaper.
Early life and family
[edit]Vann was born Jessie[a] Ellen Matthews in Floradale, Pennsylvania on February 23, 1885.[1][2] After moving to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, she was a top student at Harrisburg's Central High School and was the only African-American graduate in 1904. Following this, she became a prominent school teacher.[3] In 1908 she met Robert Lee Vann, when he was a law student and she a kindergarten teacher.[4] They married in 1910,[2] and shortly thereafter he went into journalism, launching the Pittsburgh Courier.[4]
Career
[edit]When Robert died in 1940, Jessie Vann inherited the Courier and served as publisher for the next 23 years.[2] Her success at the paper made her one of the wealthiest African-American women of the World War II era, with the paper grossing about $2 million a year by 1945.[4] Under Vann's direction, the Courier circulated information about the economic opportunities newly available to African-Americans during the war; later, the paper advocated for the work of the civil rights movement.[4]
Vann also served on a large number of civic boards, including the Pittsburgh chapters of the NAACP and the Urban League,[5] the Newspaper Publishers Association, and the Pennsylvania governor's Committee on Industrial Race Relations, and President Dwight Eisenhower’s International Development Advisory Board.[6] In 1956 and 1960, she was an alternate delegate-at-large to the Republican National Convention.[5] The Haitian government awarded her the Haitian Legion of Merit and Honor, accompanied by medal and scroll.[5]
As the wartime economic boom ebbed, the paper also declined financially and board members blamed Vann's management.[4] She retired in 1963, though improving on her leadership proved difficult and the board sold the paper to the Chicago Defender in 1965.[4]
Death
[edit]Vann died June 7, 1967, in West Penn Hospital. She was 82.[7] She was survived by foster daughter Mabel Johnson.[5]
Notes
[edit]- ^ Some sources give her first name as Jesse.
References
[edit]- ^ "New York, New York Passen...ew Lists, 1909, 1925-1957". FamilySearch. 1909.
- ^ a b c "Vann, Jesse Matthews (c. 1890–1967)." Dictionary of Women Worldwide: 25,000 Women Through the Ages, edited by Anne Commire and Deborah Klezmer, vol. 2, Yorkin Publications, 2007, p. 1918. Gale eBooks. Accessed 23 Sept. 2021.
- ^ Jackson, Jr., Calobe; McArdle, Katie Wingert; Pettegrew, David, eds. (2020). One Hundred Voices: Harrisburg's Historic African American Community, 1850-1920. Grand Forks, ND: The Digital Press at the University of North Dakota. ISBN 978-1-7345068-5-3.
- ^ a b c d e f Winters, Kelly (1999). "Vann, Jesse Matthews (C. 1890–1967)". In Commire, Anne (ed.). Women in world history : a biographical encyclopedia. United States: Gale Group. ISBN 0-7876-4080-8.
- ^ a b c d "Mrs. Jessie Vann, 82, Ex-Courier Publisher". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 1967-06-08. p. 21. Retrieved 2021-09-23.
- ^ "Jesse Vann a quiet giant in Black newspaper history". New Pittsburgh Courier. 2015-03-22. Retrieved 2021-09-23.
- ^ "MRS. JESSIE VANN, PUBLISHER, WAS 82; Former Owner of the Weekly Pittsburgh Courier Dies". The New York Times. 8 June 1967. Retrieved 23 September 2021.