Josephine Turck Baker

Born in Milwaukee and later based in Evanston, Illinois, she was an American author, publisher, and composer whose work centered on language, style, and self-expression. Sources about her life agree that she published and promoted practical guidance on grammar, vocabulary, and conversation, and that she became a visible figure in Evanston cultural life.

Her best-known achievement was founding and editing Correct English, a magazine she led for nearly four decades. She also wrote many books, including works on conversation, letter writing, vocabulary building, business English, and literary craft, along with plays, poetry, and the 1915 novel The Burden of the Strong.

Modern scholarship has noted her importance in the history of American usage advice, describing her as an early female voice in that tradition. Some biographical details vary across sources, including her birth year, so the broad outline of her career is clearer than every date and credential.