Irita Bradford Van Doren
Encyclopedia
Irita Bradford Van Doren (March 16, 1891-December 18, 1966) was an American literary figure and editor of the New York Herald Tribune
book review for 37 years.
Born Irita Bradford in Birmingham, Alabama
, her family moved to Tallahassee, Florida
when she was four. Her father owned a sawmill and was killed by a disgruntled former employee when she was nine, so her mother had to support four children through music lessons and selling preserves.
She graduated from the Florida State College for Women in 1908. She studied at Columbia University
for her doctorate in English
while teaching part-time at Hunter College
. While at Columbia, she met fellow grad student Carl Van Doren, future Pulitzer Prize
winner and member of the literary Van Doren family. They married in 1912, had three children, and divorced in 1935.
She and her husband both joined the staff of The Nation
in 1919 and she succeeded him as literary editor in 1923. She became assistant to Stuart Sherman
, book editor of the New York Herald Tribune, in 1924 and succeeded him when he died in 1926. She held this post until 1963 and became an influential and prominent figure in American letters.
Due to a mutual interest in southern history (Van Doren was the granddaughter of Union
General William T. H. Brooks
), she met Wendell Willkie
, the Republican
presidential nominee in 1940. Publicly good friends, they carried on a lengthy romantic affair. She introduced him to the literary world and assisted in writing his speeches and books.
The Irita Van Doren Book Award was established in 1960 by the publisher of the Herald Tribune.
Despite the urging of many, she never penned her memoirs, referring to herself as "the nonwriting Van Doren".
New York Herald Tribune
The New York Herald Tribune was a daily newspaper created in 1924 when the New York Tribune acquired the New York Herald.Other predecessors, which had earlier merged into the New York Tribune, included the original The New Yorker newsweekly , and the Whig Party's Log Cabin.The paper was home to...
book review for 37 years.
Born Irita Bradford in Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
, her family moved to Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee is the capital of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, and is the 128th largest city in the United States. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2010, the population recorded by...
when she was four. Her father owned a sawmill and was killed by a disgruntled former employee when she was nine, so her mother had to support four children through music lessons and selling preserves.
She graduated from the Florida State College for Women in 1908. She studied at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
for her doctorate in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
while teaching part-time at Hunter College
Hunter College
Hunter College, established in 1870, is a public university and one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York, located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Hunter grants undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degrees in more than one hundred fields of study, and is recognized...
. While at Columbia, she met fellow grad student Carl Van Doren, future Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
winner and member of the literary Van Doren family. They married in 1912, had three children, and divorced in 1935.
She and her husband both joined the staff of The Nation
The Nation
The Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
in 1919 and she succeeded him as literary editor in 1923. She became assistant to Stuart Sherman
Stuart Sherman
Stuart Pratt Sherman was an American literary critic and educator of the early 20th century noted for his criticisms of H. L. Mencken.-Background, education, and academic career:...
, book editor of the New York Herald Tribune, in 1924 and succeeded him when he died in 1926. She held this post until 1963 and became an influential and prominent figure in American letters.
Due to a mutual interest in southern history (Van Doren was the granddaughter of Union
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
General William T. H. Brooks
William T. H. Brooks
William Thomas Harbaugh Brooks was a career military officer in the United States Army, serving as a major general during the American Civil War.-Early life:...
), she met Wendell Willkie
Wendell Willkie
Wendell Lewis Willkie was a corporate lawyer in the United States and a dark horse who became the Republican Party nominee for the president in 1940. A member of the liberal wing of the GOP, he crusaded against those domestic policies of the New Deal that he thought were inefficient and...
, the Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
presidential nominee in 1940. Publicly good friends, they carried on a lengthy romantic affair. She introduced him to the literary world and assisted in writing his speeches and books.
The Irita Van Doren Book Award was established in 1960 by the publisher of the Herald Tribune.
Despite the urging of many, she never penned her memoirs, referring to herself as "the nonwriting Van Doren".