Pearl Rivers
Pearl Rivers | |
|---|---|
Eliza J. Nicholson | |
| Born | Eliza Jane Poitevent March 11, 1843 |
| Died | February 15, 1896 (aged 52) |
| Resting place | Metairie Cemetery |
| Pen name | Pearl Rivers |
| Occupation | Journalist, poet |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Amite Female Seminary, Liberty, Mississippi |
| Period | 1859-1896 |
Pearl Rivers (pen name of Eliza Jane Nicholson; formerly Holbrook; née Poitevent; March 11, 1843 – February 15, 1896) was an American journalist and poet, and the first female editor of a major American newspaper. After being the literary editor of the New Orleans Daily Picayune, Rivers became the owner and publisher in 1876, after her elderly husband died. In 1880, she took over as managing editor, where she continued until her death in 1896.
She took her pen name from the Pearl River, which was located near her home in Mississippi. She did not let traditional norms hold her back from doing what she wished. Most of her newspaper work was pursued against the wishes of her family and society.