Born this day on December 6, 1815, Jane Grey Swisshelm was one of America’s best-known anti-slavery advocates of the 19th century. Born in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, Jane married James Swisshelm at age 20 and moved to Kentucky, where she was first exposed to slavery. Soon she began writing newspaper articles on slavery issues, and started her own newspaper in 1847 at the age of 32. By 1850 she was a reporter for the New York Tribune, one of the leading newspapers in the country. Her journalism was of the highest order, and she gained a national reputation for her clear-eyed stories about American political and social issues. Her work was all-consuming, and it led to her divorce from James Swisshelm in 1857. She moved to Minnesota, where she continued her newspaper work while witnessing an influx of slaveholders into the state. The pace of new slaves being brought into Minnesota increased when the U.S. Supreme Court issued its infamous ruling in the Dred Scott case (effectively ruling that the Constitution did not bar slavery). In the face of this, Jane continued to publish hard-hitting articles opposing slavery, and speaking up for women’s rights.
Over time, Swisshelm’s published attacks on slavery generated an intense backlash against her; at one point her newspaper offices were destroyed, and she was forced to start over. Unafraid, Jane helped form the Republican Party in Minnesota, and was an ardent supporter of Abraham Lincoln. During the Civil War, she volunteered for various duties in support the Union Army, including nursing wounded soldiers. After the War she continued writing and publishing for the next twenty years, and she won praise for her attacks on President Andrew Johnson for his abysmal handling of the post-war Reconstruction. During this time, Jane published her autobiography in 1881, entitled Half a Century. She died in 1884 in Pennsylvania at the age of 68. We honor her today for her courageous stance against the institution of slavery, and for her commitment to journalistic integrity.
