Charlotte Murray Curtis (December 19, 1928 – April 16, 1987) was an American journalist, columnist and editor at The New York Times. Career Curtis worked as a reporter and society editor for the Columbus Citizen for 11 years, and at The New York Times for 25 years. She began her career at the Times as a fashion reporter in 1961, and two years later was assigned to the "society beat," rising to editor of the Family/Style section by 1965. She transformed the traditional women's pages through her emphasis on current news and "lively writing." In 1974, she became an associate editor of the Times in charge of the Op-Ed Page, a position she held until 1982. Her name appeared on the Times masthead, the first woman to be included with the senior editors. Her column of social commentary ran from 1982 to June 1986. At the Columbus Citizen, Curtis honed her skills as a writer, analyst and researcher, sometimes using humor "to the dismay of her subjects." While she was editor at the Times, she wrote articles for Harper's and Rolling Stone, and a book, The Rich and Other Atrocities, published by Harper and Row in 1976. Legacy Journalist Emily Yoffe describes her as "both the first woman on the masthead of The New York Times and one of the last women to always be the only woman in the room in the world of big-time journalism", and says she was "one of those rare print journalists who are as famous as the famous people she profiled". Personal life Curtis was born December 19, 1928, the daughter of George Morris and Lucile Atcherson Curtis, in Chicago, Illinois. She graduated from Columbus School for Girls and attended Vassar College, majoring in United States history. She was married to Dr. William E. Hunt, a professor and director of neurologic surgery at the College of Medicine at Ohio State University. Curtis died of cancer on April 16, 1987 at Ohio State University Hospital at the age of 58. Further reading References External links Papers of Charlotte Curtis, 1928-1987 (inclusive), 1950-1981 (bulk). Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University. 1928 births 1987 deaths The New York Times editors Vassar College alumni Writers from Columbus, Ohio American women journalists American women columnists Writers from Chicago 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American women writers Deaths from cancer in Ohio Columbus School for Girls alumni