Ida M. Tarbell (1857 - 1944) is known as America's first great woman journalist. She took pride in her ability to present her work in the fairest, most truthful manner possible and did not seek monetary gain or publicity for her writing. Her career began in 1880 when Tarbell became the first woman to graduate from Allegheny College, and went on to become a school teacher in Portland, Ohio before moving back home to Titusville to report for her local newspaper. Later, after three years in Paris studying the French Revolutionary Madame Roland, her work was published and recognized by Samuel McClure, under whom she was hired to write for a magazine.
Tarbell's Claim to Fame
In just 2 years, McClure's Magazine published nineteen of Tarbell's articles regarding the history of Standard Oil, in which she exposed the corruption, manipulation and criminal actions that characterized John D. Rockefeller's near-monopoly in the oil industry. In her installments, she exposed "Rockefeller's power and ruthlessness, and his willingness to bribe legislators and drive competitors out of business," with great fervor, too, as the issue affected the employment of her father and brother. (Explore PA History) In 1904, a two-volume compilation of Tarbell's articles was published which caused an uproar in public opinion in regards to the oil monopoly. When the Standard Oil company was prosecuted under the conditions of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, passed in 1890, Tarbell became a "national celebrity" and "the most prominent woman among a new generation of investigative journalists." (Explore PA History)
Stepping Off Her Pedestal
In the following years, Tarbell more conservatively published works that outlined famous historical figures and focused on women's rights, but failed to gain as much recognition for these articles and books as her triumph in the Standard Oil debate.
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