Rachel Kollock McDowell

Rachel Kollock McDowell (January 11, 1880 – August 30, 1949) was an American journalist and the first religion editor of The New York Times, serving in that position from 1920 to 1948. She covered the city's religious activities, from weekly sermons to church construction, community organizing and welfare. During decades of rapid social change, she was known for her connections with Protestant and Catholic clergy, as well as Jewish rabbis, and paid special attention to interfaith efforts. She spoke nationally on religion, appearing at Chautauqua, and had a weekly radio show for a quarter of a century.

Early life and education The daughter of Josephine Timanus and William Osborn McDowell, Rachel and her twin brother Malcolm were born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1880 as the third and fourth children of seven. Their father was a financier and businessman working in New York, with active interests in railroads and mining. He was also a civic organizer, founding the Sons of the American Revolution and helping with founding the Daughters of the American Revolution in the late nineteenth century. In addition to such heritage organizations, he supported Cuban independence from Spain and worked for international peace movements.

The reporter Meyer Berger of The New York Times tells the following story about her: When Bishop Manning called a press conference one day to announce a $10,000,000 campaign for the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, he held up his statement until she got there – 50 minutes late. "Miss McDowell," he told her in hurtful reproach, "we have been waiting for you for 50 minutes." A tall young man at one side of the room answered before Miss McDowell had quite caught her breath. "Your Reverence," he said quietly, "Miss McDowell – and The Times – are worth waiting 50 minutes for. Her defender, head of the Bishop's New York campaign committee, was Franklin D. Roosevelt." It was an example of her persistence to get "exclusives"; she was credited with scores of them. While at the Herald, she founded the Pure Language League for newspaper writers, to discourage the use of blasphemous and profane language, and carried her campaign to the Times. She was known there for her annual message on New Year's Eve reminding writers to use pure language. For more than 25 years, she wrote a weekly article for The Presbyterian (now The Presbyterian Outlook. After meeting with Pope Pius XI in 1935, she wrote about it and received in response more than 1,000 letters from around the world.

McDowell retired as result of ill health on December 31, 1948, and died less than a year later on August 30, 1949.

Civic and professional life McDowell was active in professional organizations, such as the New York City Women’s Press Club, the League of American PEN Women, and New Jersey Women’s Press Club. and supported its educational activities.