Ida Tarbell

History: 

Ida Minerva Tarbell is one of the most famous investigate journalist women in history. Ida was born on November 5, 1857, in Erie County, Pennsylvania. Her father was an oil producer and her family's lives were affected by the price-fixing scheme of the Standard Oil Company. She attended Allegheny College, graduating as the only woman in her class in 1880. After graduation, she did many things such as teaching for a short period. But, while living in Paris, where she wrote her autobiography, she worked for McClure’s Magazine, which gave her great exposure. However, she decided to go on her own and write for American Magazine, of which she was also a co-owner and co-editor. She wrote many controversial pieces about gender roles including The Business of Being a Woman (1912) and The Ways of Women (1915) She died on January 6, 1944.

Impact: 

Tarbell had a huge impact on the oil company, she untimely exposed unfair practices of the Standard Oil Company which, leading to a U.S. Supreme Court decision to break its monopoly. She did this by writing. The History of the Standard Oil Company the first installment was published by McClure’s in 1902. Tarbell's father warned against writing the series as he feared Rockefeller would attack the magazine but she had the determination and personal experience that drove her to write the series anyway. In the series, she exposed questionable practices, including those surrounding the events that had so greatly impacted her family such as having employees to outmaneuver and rollover whoever got in their way. The History of the Standard Oil Company also helped to grow the trend of investigation, exposé, and lead liberal journals of the day, a technique that in 1906 President Theodore Roosevelt would label muckraking. Not only did she play a big role in the U.S. Supreme Court decision to break its monopoly of the Standard Oil Company. She also lectured for a time on the chautauqua circuit and wrote several popular biographies, which included eight books on Abraham Lincoln. She then served as a member of various government conferences and committees concerned with defense, industry, unemployment, and other issues. After her death, Tarbell was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame and two years later she was featured as part of a United States Postal Service stamp series commemorating women journalists. Her History of the Standard Oil Company stands as one of the most important works of journalism in the 20th century.

Source: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ida-Tarbell