Elsie Reasoner Ralph
Elsie Reasoner Ralph | |
|---|---|
| Born | Elsie Reasoner April 25, 1878 Osborne, Kansas, US |
| Died | April 29, 1913 (aged 35) Lloyd, Florida, US |
| Other name | Elsie Ralph |
| Occupations | War correspondent, sculptor |
| Years active | 1898–1913 |
| Spouse | Lester Ralph |
| Relatives | Julian Ralph (father-in-law) |
Elsie Reasoner Ralph (April 25, 1878 – April 29, 1913)[1] was an American journalist from Kansas. She was a war correspondent in Cuba, reporting for McClure's magazine. After marriage she began a career as a sculptor in London.
Early life and education
Reasoner was born in Osborne, Kansas, the daughter of Calvin Reasoner and Venetia Emeret Shearer Reasoner. Her father was a clergyman, judge,[2] and editor,[3] who served in the Kansas legislature.[4][5] She was educated in Kansas and Washington, D.C.[6]
Career
Reasoner worked at newspapers in Utah,[7] Illinois, and Nebraska.[3] She traveled to Cuba[8] to cover the Spanish–American War for McClure's magazine, under the cover story of being a nursing volunteer with the Red Cross, with papers signed by Clara Barton.[9][10] She helped in the hospital kitchen[3] and took photos when she could. "I got just as close to the firing line as the commanding officers would permit me to go," she recalled.[5] "I have the satisfaction of knowing that I'm the only woman correspondent that will see this war," she wrote in 1898, from Jamaica. "They call me 'plucky' and 'courageous', but nine-tenths of the American girls would be here if they had the chance."[6] After the war she covered the coronation of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands.[5]
Ralph moved to London and studied sculpture in Paris and Munich. She made a bust of Dillon Ripley that was exhibited in 1910.[2] She sold a sculpted sundial to banker Otto Hermann Kahn in 1911.[11]
Personal life
In 1904, Reasoner married a fellow American, illustrator Lester Ralph, son of journalist Julian Ralph, in New York City.[3][6] She died in 1913, at the age of 35, while visiting her sister and mother in Florida.[2][12][13] Ralph and her father were both inducted into the Osborne County Hall of Fame in 1996.[4][6]
References
- ^ "'Elsie Reasoner Ralph', Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland 1851–1951". University of Glasgow History of Art database. Archived from the original on July 3, 2020. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
- ^ a b c "Mrs. Ralph is Dead; She was Born in Osborne and Known as Miss Elsie Reasoner, Passed Away in Florida". Osborne County Farmer. May 1, 1913. p. 1. Retrieved May 20, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d "Chose a Bright Kansas Girl". The Lincoln Star. March 28, 1903. p. 13. Retrieved May 20, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Calvin Reasoner – 1996 Inductee". The Osborne County Hall of Fame. September 12, 2012. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
- ^ a b c "A Life's Romance; How Elsie Reasoner of Kansas Made Name for Herself". The Topeka Capital-Journal. June 25, 1904. p. 7. Retrieved May 20, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d "Elsie (Reasoner) Ralph – 1996 Inductee". The Osborne County Hall of Fame. September 12, 2012. Archived from the original on July 3, 2020. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
- ^ "Former Salt Lake Girl Passes Away; Made Start in Life Here as Actress and Newspaper Correspondent". The Salt Lake Tribune. April 30, 1913. p. 2. Retrieved May 20, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Elsie Reasoner Writes". Brown County World. June 28, 1901. p. 4. Retrieved May 20, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Edy, Carolyn M. (November 8, 2018). The Woman War Correspondent, the U.S. Military, and the Press: 1846–1947 (Reprint ed.). Lexington Books. pp. 25–26. ISBN 978-1498539296. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
- ^ The Graduate Magazine of the University of Kansas. University of Kansas. 1912. p. 270. Archived from the original on March 29, 2024. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
- ^ "A Romance of the St. Louis Worlds Fair". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. January 29, 1911. p. 55. Retrieved May 20, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Newspaper Woman Dies; Writer Known as Elsie Reasoner Served as War Correspondent". The Daily Ardmoreite. April 30, 1913. p. 1. Retrieved May 20, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Obituaries". The New York Times. April 30, 1913. p. 11. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 20, 2026.