Carol Sutton
American journalist and first woman editor of the Louisville Courier-Journal newspaper
About Carol Sutton
Lived 1933 – 1985 (aged 51). Carol Sutton was an American journalist.
Carol Sutton (June 29, 1933 – February 19, 1985 ) was an American journalist. She got her journalism degree from the University of Missouri. In 1974 she became the first female managing editor of a major U.S. daily newspaper, The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Kentucky. She was cited as the example of female achievement in journalism when Time named American Women as the 1975 People of the Year. During her tenure at the paper, it was awarded the 1971 Penney-Missouri Award for General Excellence and in 1976 the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography for its coverage of school desegregation in Louisville. She is also credited with significantly raising the number of minority reporters on staff.
Sutton knew of her Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame award at the University of Kentucky before her death in 1985. The family holds a Carol Sutton Memorial Scholarship Award in her honor every year, which has grown from one recipient to eight or twelve. She was the first white woman to be inducted into the National Association of Black Journalists Hall of Fame.
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Important facts
People in Carol Sutton's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Carol Sutton's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Carol Sutton?
American journalist and first woman editor of the Louisville Courier-Journal newspaper (1933-1985)
When was Carol Sutton born?
Carol Sutton was born on 29 June 1933 in Louisville.
When did Carol Sutton die?
Carol Sutton died on 19 February 1985 in Louisville.
What was Carol Sutton's occupation?
Carol Sutton was a journalist.
What nationality was Carol Sutton?
Carol Sutton was American.
Sources & further reading
· DBpedia: Carol Sutton (journalist)
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Carol Sutton. https://biography.guide/carol-sutton-journalist/
MLA: "Carol Sutton." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/carol-sutton-journalist/.
Chicago: "Carol Sutton." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/carol-sutton-journalist/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.
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