# Julia Collier Harris

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American writer and journalist

Julia Collier Harris Harris in 1919 Born Julia Florida Collier (1875-11-11)November 11, 1875 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Died January 21, 1967(1967-01-21) (aged 91) Occupations Writer and journalist Years active 1911–1938 Relatives Charles A. Collier (father) Joel Chandler Harris (father-in-law) John Collier Sr. (brother)

**Julia Collier Harris** (November 11, 1875 – January 21, 1967) was an American writer and journalist. She wrote the earliest biography of [Joel Chandler Harris](/source/Joel_Chandler_Harris), her husband's father. As owners and publishers of the *[Columbus Enquirer Sun](/source/Columbus_Enquirer_Sun)* she and her husband won the [1926 Pulitzer Prize](/source/1926_Pulitzer_Prize) for Public Service. She has been inducted into three Georgia halls of fame: [Georgia Newspaper Hall of Fame](/source/Georgia_Newspaper_Hall_of_Fame), [Georgia Writers Hall of Fame](/source/Georgia_Writers_Hall_of_Fame), and [Georgia Women of Achievement](/source/Georgia_Women_of_Achievement).

## Early life

Julia Florida Collier was born in [Atlanta](/source/Atlanta) on November 11, 1875, to Susan Rawson Collier and [Charles A. Collier](/source/Charles_A._Collier), once Atlanta's mayor.[1] She graduated from [Washington Seminary](/source/Washington_Seminary_(Atlanta)) and then attended a finishing school.[1] She studied art at [Cowles Art School](/source/Cowles_Art_School) in [Boston](/source/Boston)[1] and planned to pursue it as a career.[2] The death of her mother in March 1897 forced her to abandon her art career plans and return home to care for her five[3] younger brothers and sisters.[2] Her father died in 1900 under what she considered suspicious circumstances[1] and left her legal guardianship of her brothers and sisters.[4]

She married Julian LaRose Harris[1] on October 26, 1897, in Atlanta.[5] The son of [Joel Chandler Harris](/source/Joel_Chandler_Harris), Julian was a journalist who had started with *[The Atlanta Constitution](/source/The_Atlanta_Journal-Constitution)* at age sixteen and later became their youngest managing editor.[1] The couple had two sons, each of whom died in childhood in 1903 and 1904.[2]

## Career

She began her own journalism career in 1911 at *The Atlanta Constitution* as well, writing on literary topics, the arts and club news.[2] She was also state editor for the Georgia Federation of Women's Clubs.[2]

Around this time her husband Julian was business manager for his father's *Uncle Remus Magazine*,[1] but his father died in 1908, and the magazine folded in 1913.[1] The couple moved to New York City, where Julian wrote for the *[New York Herald](/source/New_York_Herald)* and Julia wrote for their [Herald Syndicate](/source/New_York_Herald_Tribune_Syndicate) under the pseudonym Constance Bine.[2] She wrote a series of features for the Herald from Paris,[2] and as a result she was one of only two women who were present at the signing of the [Treaty of Versailles](/source/Treaty_of_Versailles) in June 1919.[6] She wrote for the syndicate from 1916 to 1920.[5]

Harris with Marcel-Lenoir circa 1917

While she was writing for Herald, she worked on two books. Her first was a translation of Romanian folk tales.[7][8]. Her second was the first biography of [Joel Chandler Harris](/source/Joel_Chandler_Harris),[9] and that 1918 book[10] remains a primary resource for scholars of his work.[6] She was also later instrumental in establishing a collection of his papers at Emory University's [Robert W. Woodruff Library](/source/Robert_W._Woodruff_Library).[6]

In 1920 the couple moved back to Georgia and pooled their money to purchase an interest in (and later, full ownership of) the [Columbus](/source/Columbus%2C_Georgia) newspaper *[Enquirer-Sun](/source/Columbus_Enquirer_Sun)*.[2] The newspaper broke ground by identifying politicians who were secretly members of the [Ku Klux Klan](/source/Ku_Klux_Klan) and by publishing news of the black community.[8]

Harris wrote a series of articles that helped defeat anti-[evolution](/source/Evolution) bills in the [Georgia General Assembly](/source/Georgia_General_Assembly)[8] in 1924 and 1925.[11] She identified herself as a theistic evolutionist.[12] Other topics she editorialized included campaigns against [convict leasing](/source/Convict_leasing) and [lynching](/source/Lynching_in_the_United_States).[8] Between 1922 and 1929 she wrote hundreds of editorials for the paper, many of which were reprinted in other newspapers.[11]

As a result of this work, the *Columbus Enquirer-Sun* won the [1926 Pulitzer Prize](/source/1926_Pulitzer_Prize) for [Public Service](/source/Pulitzer_Prize_for_Public_Service).[2] It was the first [Pulitzer Prize](/source/Pulitzer_Prize) to be awarded to people from Georgia.[2] Julian accepted the honor for his wife and said of her, "She is not only vice president of the Enquirer Sun Company, but a fearless associate editor, unyielding in the face of injustice of any kind, and a constant inspiration."[8]

Harris, her husband, and [Mildred Seydell](/source/Mildred_Seydell) were the only journalists from Georgia who reported in person from the [Scopes Trial](/source/Scopes_Trial) in 1925.[13] Harris' husband covered the daily progress of the trial, while she wrote in-depth pieces and editorials that explained evolution.[11] Her husband said that "Julia is the better writer."[11]

Their outspoken editorials made them many enemies in Columbus,[6] which caused advertising revenue to plummet.[11] This forced them to sell the newspaper in 1929.[8]

A good newspaper woman must continue to study as well as to observe, and must prepare herself continuously against every emergency. My own all-round equipment as a writer has enabled me to take advantage of almost every opportunity that has come my way.

— Julia Collier Harris, quoted in *Concerning The Fourth Estate*, 1942 [14]

Her husband returned to *The Atlanta Constitution*, and she worked on her third book, a collection of her father-in-law's essays.[11][15] In 1935 her husband became the executive editor of the *[Chattanooga Times](/source/Chattanooga_Times_Free_Press)*, and she wrote features, editorials, book reviews. and a weekly column for that paper.[11]

Poor health and bouts of depression forced her to retire in 1938, but she continued to mentor young journalists until her death.[8] In 1942 the Harrises returned to Atlanta, where Julian was a correspondent for *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)* until he retired in 1945.[11]

Outside of her career, Harris was active in the [Association of Southern Women for the Prevention of Lynching](/source/Association_of_Southern_Women_for_the_Prevention_of_Lynching) and the [League of Women Voters](/source/League_of_Women_Voters).[2] She was also a member of the [Daughters of the American Revolution](/source/Daughters_of_the_American_Revolution) as well as the Georgia Federation of Women's Clubs, in which she held several offices.[5]

## Death and legacy

She spent her later years in a nursing home, where she continued to write.[6] She died in 1967 and was buried in the Rawson family vault at Atlanta's historic [Oakland Cemetery](/source/Oakland_Cemetery_(Atlanta)).[1]

She has been posthumously inducted into three different Georgia halls of fame. In 1996 she was inducted into the [Georgia Newspaper Hall of Fame](/source/Georgia_Newspaper_Hall_of_Fame).[6] In 1998 she was inducted into the [Georgia Women of Achievement](/source/Georgia_Women_of_Achievement).[8] In 2019 she was inducted into the [Georgia Writers Hall of Fame](/source/Georgia_Writers_Hall_of_Fame).[11]

Her papers are held at [Smith College](/source/Smith_College),[16] and her husband's papers are held at [Emory University](/source/Emory_University).[17]

## Books

- [Ispirescu, Petre](/source/Petre_Ispirescu) (1917). [*The Foundling Prince & Other Tales*](https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015043595746&view=1up&seq=11). Translated by Harris, Julia Collier; Ipcar, Rea. Boston & New York: Houghton Mifflin Co. [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [560304297](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/560304297).

- Harris, Julia Collier (1918). [*The Life and Letters of Joel Chandler Harris*](https://books.google.com/books?id=la4aAAAAYAAJ). Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin company. [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [1031594442](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/1031594442).

- Harris, Julia Collier, ed. (1931). *Joel Chandler Harris, Editor and Essayist*. Chapel Hill: Univ. of North Carolina Press. [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [272364](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/272364).

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Lisby_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Lisby_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Lisby_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Lisby_1-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-Lisby_1-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-Lisby_1-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-Lisby_1-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-Lisby_1-7) [***i***](#cite_ref-Lisby_1-8) Lisby, Gregory C. (July 2, 2020). ["Julian and Julia Collier Harris (1874–1963; 1875–1967)"](https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/julian-and-julia-collier-harris-1874-1963-1875-1967). *[New Georgia Encyclopedia](/source/New_Georgia_Encyclopedia)*. Retrieved July 31, 2020.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Smith_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Smith_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Smith_2-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Smith_2-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-Smith_2-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-Smith_2-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-Smith_2-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-Smith_2-7) [***i***](#cite_ref-Smith_2-8) [***j***](#cite_ref-Smith_2-9) [***k***](#cite_ref-Smith_2-10) Smith, Helen C. (February 15, 1976). ["Julia Harris, Husband Shared Pulitzer Prize"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54545955/julia-harris-husband-shared-pulitzer/). *[Atlanta Constitution](/source/Atlanta_Constitution)*. p. 8G. Retrieved July 31, 2020 – via [newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-DrewryJohnson_3-0)** Drewry, John E; Johnson, Walter C. (1942). [*Concerning the Fourth Estate*](https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=umn.31951000494575w&view=1up&seq=56&q1=Collier). Athens, Ga: University of Georgia Press. pp. 42–45. [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [1943789](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/1943789). Retrieved August 4, 2020 – via HathiTrust.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEDrewryJohnson194243_4-0)** [Drewry & Johnson 1942](#CITEREFDrewryJohnson1942), p. 43.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Blair_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Blair_5-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Blair_5-2) [Blair, Ruth](/source/Ruth_Blair). [*Georgia Women of 1926*](https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uva.x000606997&view=1up&seq=35). Georgia Dept. of Archives and History. p. 28. [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [3831135](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/3831135). Retrieved August 3, 2020 – via [HathiTrust](/source/HathiTrust).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Sibley_6-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Sibley_6-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Sibley_6-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Sibley_6-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-Sibley_6-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-Sibley_6-5) [Sibley, Celestine](/source/Celestine_Sibley) (October 14, 1996). ["Hall of Fame a fitting place for journalists"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54483567/hall-of-fame-a-fitting-place-for/). *[The Atlanta Constitution](/source/The_Atlanta_Journal-Constitution)*. p. C1. Retrieved June 30, 2020 – via [newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEIspirescu1917_7-0)** [Ispirescu 1917](#CITEREFIspirescu1917).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-gwa_8-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-gwa_8-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-gwa_8-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-gwa_8-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-gwa_8-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-gwa_8-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-gwa_8-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-gwa_8-7) ["Julia Collier Harris"](https://www.georgiawomen.org/julia-collier-harris). *[Georgia Women of Achievement](/source/Georgia_Women_of_Achievement)*. March 1998. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20170930231621/https://www.georgiawomen.org/julia-collier-harris) from the original on September 30, 2017. Retrieved July 31, 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTELisbyHarris1991787_9-0)** [Lisby & Harris 1991](#CITEREFLisbyHarris1991), p. 787.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHarris1918_10-0)** [Harris 1918](#CITEREFHarris1918).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-writers_11-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-writers_11-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-writers_11-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-writers_11-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-writers_11-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-writers_11-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-writers_11-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-writers_11-7) [***i***](#cite_ref-writers_11-8) ["Hall of Fame Honorees – Julia Collier Harris"](https://georgiawritershalloffame.org/honorees/juliacollier-harris). *Georgia Writers Hall of Fame*. [University of Georgia](/source/University_of_Georgia). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20200801021210/https://georgiawritershalloffame.org/honorees/juliacollier-harris) from the original on August 1, 2020. Retrieved July 31, 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Stephens_12-0)** Stephens, Lester D. (August 28, 2019). ["Evolution Controversy"](https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/education/evolution-controversy). *[New Georgia Encyclopedia](/source/New_Georgia_Encyclopedia)*. Retrieved August 3, 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-LisbyHarris_13-0)** Lisby, Gregory C.; Harris, Linda L. (Winter 1991). "Georgia Reporters at the Scopes Trial: A Comparison of Newspaper Coverage". *The Georgia Historical Quarterly*. **75** (4): 784–803. [JSTOR](/source/JSTOR_(identifier)) [40582427](https://www.jstor.org/stable/40582427).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEDrewryJohnson194244_14-0)** [Drewry & Johnson 1942](#CITEREFDrewryJohnson1942), p. 44.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHarris1931_15-0)** [Harris 1931](#CITEREFHarris1931).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-papers1_16-0)** ["Julia Collier Harris Papers"](https://findingaids.smith.edu/repositories/2/resources/614). *Sophia Smith Collection*. Northampton, Mass.: Smith College. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20190909135940/https://findingaids.smith.edu/repositories/2/resources/614) from the original on September 9, 2019. Retrieved July 31, 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-papers2_17-0)** ["Julian LaRose Harris papers, 1890–1968"](https://findingaids.library.emory.edu/documents/harrisjulianl6/). Emory Libraries. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20180618020853/https://findingaids.library.emory.edu/documents/harrisjulianl6/) from the original on June 18, 2018. Retrieved July 31, 2020.

## External links

- [Julia Collier Harris](https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/49047974) at [Find a Grave](/source/Find_a_Grave)

v t e Georgia Women of Achievement 1990s 1992 Martha Berry Lucy Craft Laney Juliette Gordon Low Flannery O'Connor 1993 Dicksie Bradley Bandy Mary Musgrove Cassandra Pickett Durham Viola Ross Napier Ma Rainey 1994 Julia Flisch Carson McCullers Margaret Mitchell Ruth Hartley Mosley Emily Harvie Thomas Tubman 1995 Selena Sloan Butler Anna Colquitt Hunter Hazel Jane Raines 1996 Susan Cobb Milton Atkinson Nellie Peters Black Ellen Craft Corra Harris Lugenia Burns Hope 1997 Rebecca Latimer Felton Mary Ann Harris Gay Nancy Hart Lucy Barrow McIntire 1998 Lettie Pate Whitehead Evans Julia Collier Harris Rhoda Kaufman Carrie Steele Logan 1999 Moina Michael Lillian Smith 2000s 2000 Sallie Ellis Davis Laura Askew Haygood Ellen Axson Wilson 2001 Julia L. Coleman Catherine Evans Whitener 2002 Wessie Gertrude Connell Lula Dobbs McEachern Alice Harrell Strickland 2003 Madeleine Kiker Anthony Helena Maud Brown Cobb Julia Lester Dillon Leila Ross Wilburn 2004 Mathilda Beasley Louise Frederick Hays Helen Dortch Longstreet Sarah McLendon Murphy Emily Barnelia Woodward 2005 Alice Woodby McKane Nina Anderson Pape Jeannette Rankin 2006 Eliza Frances Andrews Grace Towns Hamilton Sarah Porter Hillhouse 2007 Margaret O. Bynum Edith Lenora Foster Helen Douglas Mankin Sara Branham Matthews 2008 Elfrida De Renne Barrow Amilee Chastain Graves Susan Dowdell Myrick 2009 Caroline Pafford Miller Jane Hurt Yarn Harriet Powers 2010s 2010 Mary Ann Lipscomb Celestine Sibley Madrid Williams 2011 Lillian Gordy Carter Mary Francis Hill Coley May duBignon Stiles Howard 2012 Sarah Randolph Bailey Beulah Rucker Oliver Ethel Harpst 2013 Lollie Belle Wylie Mary Gregory Jewett Henrietta Stanley Dull 2014 Rebecca Stiles Taylor Ella Gertrude Clanton Thomas Bazoline Estelle Usher 2015 Allie Carroll Hart Frances Freeborn Pauley Nell Kendall Hodgson Woodruff 2016 Sarah Harper Heard Ellamae Ellis League Katie Hall Underwood 2017 Carolyn Mackenzie Carter Clermont Huger Lee Lucile Nix 2018 Ludie Clay Andrews Susie Baker King Taylor Mamie George S. Williams 2019 Leila Denmark Mary Dorothy Lyndon 2020s 2020 Clarice Cross Bagwell Katharine DuPre Lumpkin Juanita Marsh Jean Elizabeth Geiger Wright 2021 Ruby M. Anderson Mary G. Bryan Laura Pope Forester Allie Murray Smith 2022 Lizzie Lurline Collier Josephine Fields Sanders Hedy West Josephine Wilkins 2023 Phyllis Jenkins Barrow Alice Coachman Luck Flanders Gambrell Dorothy Rogers Tilly 2024 Beatrice Hirsch Haas Adella Hunt Logan Valerie Murphey Elizabeth "Bessie" Tift 2025 Jessye Norman Alma Thomas

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Julia Collier Harris](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Collier_Harris) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Collier_Harris?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.