Journalist. Esther Van Wagoner Tufty was the daughter of James and Florence Lomis Van Wagoner. She was also the sister of Murray Delos Van Wagoner, the 38th Governor of Michigan. Nicknamed 'The Duchess' because of the royal way she carried herself and her crown of braid hairstyle. Her career spanned 60 years, from presidents Franklin Roosevelt to Ronald Reagan. As a young girl she lived in Pontiac, Michigan, and after high school she began her career as a society editor for a newspaper there. After attending the University of Wisconsin, she moved to Washington D.C. There she opened a news bureau, called Tufty News Service, for 26 small Michigan newspapers which, at its height, provided stories to hundreds of newspapers. A radio pioneer and television broadcaster, she served as president of American Women in Radio, American Newspaper Women's Club and the Women's National Press Club. She was courageous and covered three wars and many politcal campaigns. Because she ran her own news service, if there was a story she wanted to cover she went and did so. She also encouraged many young women reporters. She continued to work despite many health problems until a few months before her death. She was thought to be one of the oldest working reporters in Washington and was elected to the Washington Hall of Fame by the Washington Professional Chapter of Sigma Delta Chi.
Journalist. Esther Van Wagoner Tufty was the daughter of James and Florence Lomis Van Wagoner. She was also the sister of Murray Delos Van Wagoner, the 38th Governor of Michigan. Nicknamed 'The Duchess' because of the royal way she carried herself and her crown of braid hairstyle. Her career spanned 60 years, from presidents Franklin Roosevelt to Ronald Reagan. As a young girl she lived in Pontiac, Michigan, and after high school she began her career as a society editor for a newspaper there. After attending the University of Wisconsin, she moved to Washington D.C. There she opened a news bureau, called Tufty News Service, for 26 small Michigan newspapers which, at its height, provided stories to hundreds of newspapers. A radio pioneer and television broadcaster, she served as president of American Women in Radio, American Newspaper Women's Club and the Women's National Press Club. She was courageous and covered three wars and many politcal campaigns. Because she ran her own news service, if there was a story she wanted to cover she went and did so. She also encouraged many young women reporters. She continued to work despite many health problems until a few months before her death. She was thought to be one of the oldest working reporters in Washington and was elected to the Washington Hall of Fame by the Washington Professional Chapter of Sigma Delta Chi.
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See more Tufty or Van Wagoner memorials in:
- Oakwood-Mount Pleasant Cemetery Tufty or Van Wagoner
- Oakwood Tufty or Van Wagoner
- Oakland County Tufty or Van Wagoner
- Michigan Tufty or Van Wagoner
- USA Tufty or Van Wagoner
- Find a Grave Tufty or Van Wagoner
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