Emily Pomona Edson Briggs

Emily Pomona Edson Briggs (September 14, 1830 – July 3, 1910) was a journalist in Washington, D.C. during the 19th century. She was one of the first American women to become nationally known as a reporter. She came to national attention during the Civil War for her writing under the pen name Olivia in the Washington Chronicle and Philadelphia Press.

Early life Emily Pomona Edson was born in Burton, Ohio, in 1830. Her parents were Mary Umberfield (previously Umberville) and Robert Edson, a blacksmith. She grew up in Ohio and later on a farm in Illinois outside Chicago after 1840. The couple had two children, John and Arthur, the latter of whom died at a young age. When her husband became a part-owner of the Keokuk, Iowa, Daily Whig (later renamed the Gate City), they moved westward. While living in Washington, Briggs became interested in reporting and commenting on national politics. In 1898 established Olivia University, through which she sought to offer education in journalism, library science, domestic science, and other disciplines for working-class people.

A collection of her columns was published in 1906 as The Olivia Letters.

Briggs died in 1910 at her home in Washington.