Kit Coleman

Kathleen Blake "Kit" Coleman (born Catherine Ferguson, 20 February 1856 – 16 May 1915) was an Irish-Canadian newspaper columnist. Coleman was one of the earliest accredited female war correspondents, covering the Spanish–American War for the Toronto Daily Mail in 1898. She served, also, as the first president of the Canadian Women's Press Club, an organization of women journalists.

Early life Kit Coleman was born Catherine Ferguson to Patrick and Mary Ferguson (née Burke) in May 1856 at Castleblakeney, County Galway, her birth is often listed incorrectly as 1864 presuming her maiden name is Blake. As an adult, she recalled her parents influencing her love of creative activities; her father had given her his love of books, and her mother, who was blind, taught her an appreciation of music and to also how to play several instruments. The strongest influence on her intellectual life came from her uncle Thomas Nicholas Burke, a Dominican priest and a renowned liberal and orator, who taught her religious and social tolerance, an attitude that was reflected in her journalism as an adult.

Coleman married young to an elderly man and wealthy landowner Thomas Willis, under her adopted name Kathleen Blake. The couple had one child who died in early childhood, and Willis died soon after.

In 1889, following the death of Watkins, or more probably, their divorce, She was hired by the Toronto Daily Mail (later the Daily Mail and Empire). becoming North America's first fully accredited woman war correspondent. Notwithstanding her own pioneering work as a journalist in an overwhelmingly male profession, as well as her activist writing on many women's rights topics, Coleman did not publicly endorse feminism and women's suffrage until 1910.

Death Coleman contracted pneumonia and died on 16 May 1915, in Hamilton, Ontario.

Legacy

Firsts She became the first female journalist in Canada to oversee her own section of a newspaper when she wrote and edited the women's pages of the Toronto Daily Mail.

She became North America’s first accredited female war correspondent while reporting on the Spanish–American War in 1898.

She co-founded the Canadian Women's Press Club in 1904 and served as its first president.

She became the first Canadian journalist to write a syndicated newspaper column. Honours and recognition She was designated a Person of National Historic Significance by the Government of Canada in 2011.

The Royal Canadian Mint issued a commemorative silver dollar in her honour in 2023.

In 2023, the Mint also released a 99.99% pure gold coin marking the 125th anniversary of her role as North America’s first accredited female war correspondent.

Library and Archives Canada holds the Kathleen Blake "Kit" Coleman fonds (archival collection R2590; formerly MG30-C152), which contains 60 cm of textual records, 91 photographs, and two medals spanning 1925–1981.