Katharine Whitehorn

Katharine Elizabeth Whitehorn (2 March 19288 January 2021) was a British journalist, columnist, author and radio presenter. She was the first woman to have a column in The Observer, which ran from 1963 to 1996 and from 2011 to 2017. She was the first female rector of a university in Scotland. Her books include Cooking in a Bedsitter.

Early life Whitehorn was born in Hendon on 2 March 1928. She was promoted to an Observer columnist in 1963, article on sluts, in the sense of 'slovenly women', in which Whitehorn identified herself with the term, created a minor sensation:

Have you ever taken anything out of the dirty-clothes basket because it had become, relatively, the cleaner thing? Changed stockings in a taxi? Could you try on clothes in any shop, any time, without worrying about your underclothes? How many things are in the wrong room-cups in the study, boots in the kitchen?

In 2009, Whitehorn began presenting some editions of the short philosophical Friday evening programme on Radio 4 entitled A Point of View.

Administrative roles In addition to her career in journalism, Whitehorn was involved in several committees. In 1965–1967, she sat on a committee chaired by the judge John Latey, which reviewed reducing the UK's age of majority from 21 to 18, and contributed to making its report easy to read. The committee's recommendation was accepted in the Family Law Reform Act of 1969. She was also a member of an advisory panel to the BBC, which reviewed television's effects on society (1971–1972). In recognition of her pioneering role, Whitehorn Hall, St Andrews, was named after her. She also served as vice-president of the Patients Association (1983–1996), a charity advocating for patients' rights, and advised the Institute for Global Ethics (1993–2011). Whitehorn was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2014 New Year Honours for services to journalism. This came about 50 years after she initially declined an honour. Her home in Hampstead was sold, and her sons auctioned her writing-desk, with the proceeds going to Dementia UK.