# Ruth Finney > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Ruth_Finney > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Ruth_Finney.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Finney > Source revision: 1239357390 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) American journalist (1898–1979) **Ruth Finney Allen** (March 6, 1898 – March 20, 1979) was an American journalist. She worked as a reporter for *[The Sacramento Star](/source/The_Sacramento_Star)* and became nationally known for her coverage of the death of President [Warren G. Harding](/source/Warren_G._Harding). She became the Washington, D.C. correspondent for four [Scripps-Howard](/source/E._W._Scripps_Company) newspapers. ## Early life Finney was born on March 6, 1898, in [Chicago, Illinois](/source/Chicago).[1][2] Her parents were John W. and Mary Morrison Finney. After growing up in [Downieville](/source/Downieville%2C_California) and [Sacramento, California](/source/Sacramento%2C_California), Finney graduated from the [San Jose Normal School](/source/San_Jose_State_University) with a teaching certificate in 1918 and worked for three months as a substitute teacher.[2] ## Career Finney became a reporter for *[The Sacramento Star](/source/The_Sacramento_Star)* in 1918.[1][2] She became well known in the state for her report on the 1922 [Argonaut Mine](/source/Argonaut_Mine) disaster in [Jackson, California](/source/Jackson%2C_California). After joining the *[San Francisco Daily News](/source/The_Daily_News_(San_Francisco))*, she received national attention for reporting on the death of President [Warren G. Harding](/source/Warren_G._Harding) in San Francisco.[2][3] She was appointed by four California [Scripps-Howard](/source/E._W._Scripps_Company) newspapers to be their Washington, D.C. correspondent in 1923.[2][4] In this role, she covered the [Teapot Dome Oil scandal](/source/Teapot_Dome_scandal), the execution of [Sacco and Vanzetti](/source/Sacco_and_Vanzetti), and the authorization of the construction of [Hoover Dam](/source/Hoover_Dam).[1][2][3] Finney was nominated for the [Pulitzer Prize](/source/Pulitzer_Prize) in 1931 for her investigation of the electric and gas utilities industry.[2] In 1941, Finney began writing a weekly column on news, politics and economics for the Scripps-Howard newspapers, titled "Washington Calling". She was an active member of the [Washington Press Club](/source/National_Press_Club_(United_States)).[2] She worked as a correspondent for *[The Albuquerque Tribune](/source/The_Albuquerque_Tribune)* until her retirement in 1968.[1] ## Personal life Finney married fellow journalist [Robert S. Allen](/source/Robert_S._Allen), the co-author for *Washington Merry-Go-Round*, in 1929.[2][5] She died on March 20, 1979, in [Georgetown](/source/Georgetown_(Washington%2C_D.C.)) at the age of 81.[1][2] ## References 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-nyt_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-nyt_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-nyt_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-nyt_1-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-nyt_1-4) ["Ruth Finney Allen, 81, Journalist for 50 Years"](https://www.nytimes.com/1979/03/21/archives/ruth-finney-allen-81-journalist-for-50-years.html). *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)*. March 21, 1979. Retrieved February 13, 2024. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-oac_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-oac_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-oac_2-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-oac_2-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-oac_2-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-oac_2-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-oac_2-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-oac_2-7) [***i***](#cite_ref-oac_2-8) [***j***](#cite_ref-oac_2-9) ["Inventory of the Ruth Finney Papers"](https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf3g50053n/entire_text/). *[Online Archive of California](/source/Online_Archive_of_California)*. Retrieved February 13, 2024. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-obit_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-obit_3-1) ["Ruth Finney Allen, 81, Editor, Washington Correspondent"](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1979/03/21/ruth-finney-allen-81-editor-washington-correspondent/3ad33ebe-1634-4c8c-acd7-e096984f1cc7/). *[The Washington Post](/source/The_Washington_Post)*. March 21, 1979. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0190-8286](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0190-8286). Retrieved February 13, 2024. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Shute, Nancy (October 29, 2023). ["The early women who shaped science journalism"](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/early-women-shaped-science-journalism). *[Science News](/source/Science_News)*. Retrieved February 13, 2024. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Eisen, Jack (February 25, 1981). ["Robert S. Allen, Colorful Newsman in Washington"](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1981/02/25/robert-s-allen-colorful-newsman-in-washington/3af1a2d1-82aa-47f6-be74-d41fe931ba5d/). *[The Washington Post](/source/The_Washington_Post)*. Retrieved February 13, 2024. ## Further reading - Mace, O. Henry (April 21, 2004). [*47 Down: The 1922 Argonaut Gold Mine Disaster*](https://books.google.com/books?id=9DrbAAAAMAAJ). Wiley. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-471-44692-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-471-44692-7). - Cairns, Kathleen A. (2003). [*Front-page Women Journalists, 1920-1950*](https://books.google.com/books?id=vN5ZAAAAMAAJ). University of Nebraska Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-8032-1525-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-8032-1525-2). - Beasley, Maurine H. (August 31, 2012). [*Women of the Washington Press: Politics, Prejudice, and Persistence*](https://books.google.com/books?id=AQ-xpwAACAAJ). Northwestern University Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-8101-2571-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-8101-2571-1). - Ross, Ishbel (1936). [*Ladies of the Press: The Story of Women in Journalism by an Insider*](https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.76677/). [Harper](/source/Harper_(publisher)). --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Ruth Finney](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Finney) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Finney?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.