National League of American Pen Women, Minnesota Branch Records

The National League of American Pen Women was founded in 1897. Marian Longfellow O'Donohue, niece of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, decided to found an organization for women journalists. Assisted by Margaret Sullivan Burke and Anna Sanborne Hamilton, Marian Longfellow O'Donohue made plans for "bringing together women journalists, authors, and illustrators for mutual benefits and the strength that comes of union."

The first meeting was on June 26, 1897. The three founders brought together seventeen writers, novelists, newspaper women, a teacher, a poet, and an artist for the first meeting. Alice R. Morgan, an illustrator for New York publishers, designed the League insignia, the owl, symbolic of wisdom, placed in a triangle formed by a red pen, a blue pencil, and a white brush, colors of the American flag.

The first National Convention was held in Washington, D. C., in April 1921, and the 300 members in attendance were received by President Warren G. and Mrs. Florence Kling Harding. Mrs. Harding was a distinguished member of the League, she helped Mr. Harding turn the Marion(OH)Daily Star into a profitable newspaper. Eleanor Roosevelt was also a member.

The Minnesota branch was organized with twelve charter members in 1927. This organization of women included artists in many creative fields. Besides those who wrote novels, poetry, drama, radio scripts, etc., there were artists in every medium, designers, composers of music, lecturers and research workers in many fields.