From 1952 to 1973, Louise Hutchinson reported for the Chicago Tribune where she shattered traditional workplace gender roles, covered John F. Kennedy’s assassination and Elvis Presley’s 1957 tour. Hutchinson died earlier this year at the age of 90 from brain cancer complications.
Before Hutchinson began to work for the Chicago Tribune, she attended Blackburn College. She left Blackburn after two years and got her bachelor’s degree at the University of Iowa. During her time at Blackburn, Hutchinson worked for the college newspaper, which at the time was called The Blackburnian. In an issue dated Oct. 9, 1943, Hutchinson is credited as a reporter in the staff listing and in another issue dated Sept. 23, 1944, Hutchinson is credited as a business manager for the newspaper.
During this time, The Blackburnian writers didn’t always have their names under the articles they had written. This was the case with Hutchinson, and we have no way of knowing if any of the articles in these issues were written by her. However, there was an article written about her titled, “Secretary is Singer,” but the author of this article is not listed. In the article, the author writes, “May we introduce Louise Hutchinson? She is the spirit of south second in Stoddard. Everyday at two-thirty she is heard warbling some light opera; she insists it is to pep up her moral so she can live through two literature classes.”
The article goes on to discuss Hutchinson’s passions: singing and playing bridge. The author describes Hutchinson’s job aspirations, saying, “Louise says that she hasn’t the faintest idea what she is going to do, but it won’t be a career.” The article ends, “Confidentially we think she is waiting for demobilization.” Demobilization refers to the standing down of a nation’s armed forces from combat-ready status. This typically happens after a victory during wartime. The author is insinuating that Hutchinson was going to wait until after World War II to get a job.
Hutchinson was definitely wrong about not having a career. She went on to win the Chicago Tribune’s top staff award for reporting, became the first woman to stay overnight at the South Pole and was elected president of the Washington Press Club in 1970. After leaving the Tribune in 1970, she stayed in Washington and worked as a public information officer for the Department of Justice’s civil rights division. Hutchinson had no immediate survivors.