Jean Blewett

Jean McKishnie Blewett (pen name, Katherine Kent; 4 November 1862 – 19 August 1934) was a Canadian journalist, author and poet.

Biography

Blewett was born Janet McKishnie in Scotia, Kent County, Canada West, in 1862 to Scottish immigrants (some sources say 1872). Eve Brodlique was her cousin.

She attended St. Thomas Collegiate and in 1879, married Bassett Blewett and published her first novel, Out of the Depths.

Blewett was a regular contributor to The Globe, a Toronto newspaper and in 1898, became editor of its Homemakers Department. In 1919, assisted by the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire, she published a booklet titled Heart Stories to benefit war charities. During this time, she regularly lectured on topics such as temperance and women's suffrage. She used the pseudonym "Katherine Kent" for some of her writing.

In 1925, Blewett was compelled by ill-health to retire her editorship. For two years, she lived with a daughter in Lethbridge, Alberta, before returning to Toronto in 1927. She died in 1934 in Chatham, Ontario.

After her death, fellow female journalist Bride Broder wrote in tribute:

Her brother, Archie P. McKishnie, was also a noted writer.

Selected works Out of the depths (novel). 1879 or 1890.