Kathleen Kit Coleman (1856-1915)
September 2024: Women in Journalism
Kathleen Kit Coleman (1856-1915)
Born in Ireland in 1856, Kathleen was born Catherine Ferguson. She spent her childhood in Galway, then studied in Dublin before moving to finishing school in Belgium. Once she was of age, Kathleen’s parents arranged a financially advantageous (but ultimately unhappy) marriage to a wealthy man who was much older than her. After his death, Kathleen decided to move to Canada, where she based herself in Toronto in 1884.
Kathleen used her education and talents in languages and music to support herself. After her marriage and then separation from her second husband, she then entered the world of journalism to provide for her two children. Starting with short stories, her writing attracted notice, and she was hired on as the editor of the women’s section of the Toronto Daily Mail.
This began her pioneering career in the journalism field, where she led the way as a female writer and leader. She was the first woman journalist in Canada to manage her own section of a Canadian newspaper – and she grew her column ‘Woman’s Kingdom’ from a half page feature to a full seven-column page. Her writing gathered popularity across Canada, and she wrote on everything and anything – from politics to fashion to social justice to poverty issues to world events.
In 1898 Kathleen broke barriers again, when she argued for the position of accredited war correspondent for the war on Cuban independence between the USA and Spain. Blocked at every turn by politicians, military leaders and other journalists, Kathleen fought to be on the front line – eventually reaching Cuba despite multiple transport ships leaving her behind on purpose. On her arrival, her fluency in Spanish gave her entrée to those who had been in the thick of the conflict, and her reporting brought her career to new heights.
In 1904, as one of fifty women total in Canada working as journalists, Kathleen was involved in forming the first ever professional community – the Canadian Women’s Press Club – where she was elected the first president. Her journalism career continued to support her family, and she used her position to give voice to those in need, including advocating for better medical support and vaccinations during a smallpox epidemic.
Eventually Kathleen started her very own syndicated column – making her the first syndicated columnist across Canada. ‘Kit’s Column’ gathered huge popularity, was run in a broad range of newspapers nationally, and earned her much more money than she had as a newspaper employee. She continued to write and publish until her death in 1915.
Her influence and achievements are being celebrated to the present day – a National Historic Person, she was celebrated on a commemorative silver dollar in 2023.
We hope you enjoyed this short profile on Kathleen Kit Coleman! For more information on her and other trailblazers, check out The Canadian Encyclopedia online, Historica Heritage Minutes and the Women of Impact Gallery.
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You can also get in touch by email at communications@womenshistoryproject.ca