Dorothy Schiff

Schiff in 1963

Born this day in 1939: Dorothy Schiff (1939–1989), first woman newspaper publisher in New York

As a young woman Schiff lived the life of a wealthy socialite. In the 1930s, however, she began devoting her time to social welfare work and championing New Deal politics. In 1939 she bought controlling interest in the New York Post, initially installing her second husband as publisher. Before long she took control, becoming the first woman publisher in New York City. She transformed the Post into a staunchly liberal tabloid (and even was able to turn a profit with this long-standing money pit), supporting unions and other liberal causes. She sold the paper, New York’s only surviving afternoon daily, to Rupert Murdoch in 1976.

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