Helen Lansdowne Resor

Helen Bayless Lansdowne Resor (February 20, 1886 – January 2, 1964) was an American advertising executive with J. Walter Thompson Co. A noted copywriter, she was posthumously inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame in 1967. Resor is credited as the first woman in American history to design and implement national advertising campaigns (source). She was named #14 on the list of 100 Advertising people of the 20th Century by Advertising Age.

Career

One of several children raised by a single mother who worked as a librarian and real estate agent, Lansdowne Resor followed her mother's example and entered the workforce after her graduation from high school in 1903. After working at a local manufacturer in her hometown of Covington, Kentucky, Lansdowne Resor gained her first advertising experience as a bill auditor for Procter & Collier in the nearby hub of Cincinnati, Ohio. She then moved on to her first creative position, writing retail advertisements for the Commercial Tribune, a Cincinnati-based newspaper. In 1906, Lansdowne Resor became a copywriter at Street Railways Advertising Co.

Industry Contributions In her decades of service to the advertising industry, Lansdowne Resor is credited with a number of contributions which were pivotal in shaping the industry as a whole.