Emily Edson Briggs

author

Emily Edson Briggs

1831–1910

A pioneering Washington correspondent, she helped open the door for women in political journalism and became widely known for her lively letters from the capital signed “Olivia.” Her work captured both the drama of public life and the texture of everyday Washington society.

1 Audiobook

The Olivia Letters Being Some History of Washington City for Forty Years as Told by the Letters of a Newspaper Correspondent

The Olivia Letters Being Some History of Washington City for Forty Years as Told by the Letters of a Newspaper Correspondent

by Emily Edson Briggs

About the author

Born in Burton, Ohio, and raised in the Midwest, she built a national reputation as a journalist at a time when very few women were visible in the profession. After moving to Washington, D.C., she began writing about the political world and became known for sharp, engaging correspondence that brought readers close to the city’s public figures and social life.

Writing under the pen name Olivia, she gained notice during and after the Civil War for her newspaper letters from Washington. She is remembered as one of the first American women to become nationally known as a reporter, and she was also associated with the opening of the congressional press world to women.

She later collected her experiences in The Olivia Letters (1906), a book that looks back on decades of life in Washington. Her career stands out not only for its longevity, but for the way it helped make journalism a more open field for the women who followed.