Background
Ruth Reinke was born on July 23, 1928 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, United States. Her mother, Helen, was a housewife, and her father, Leonard, was a designer of gravestones and mausoleums. Ruth grew up in Wisconsin.
Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States
Whitney graduated from Northwestern University in 1949.
Glamour editor Ruth Whitney and actress Glenn Close.
Ruth Whitney and Myrlie Evers-Williams.
Ruth Whitney and Madeleine Albright.
Ruth Reinke was born on July 23, 1928 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, United States. Her mother, Helen, was a housewife, and her father, Leonard, was a designer of gravestones and mausoleums. Ruth grew up in Wisconsin.
Whitney graduated from Northwestern University in 1949.
Ruth began her career as a promotional copywriter at Time magazine but was eventually fired due to, she claimed, her support of Adlai Stevenson. Unable to get a job at a general interest magazine because of her gender, Whitney moved into women’s magazines and was hired at Better Living in the mid-1950s. Within two years she was named editor-in-chief, a post she kept until 1956 when she moved to Seventeen.
Whitney stayed with Seventeen until taking over at Glamour in 1967, where she immediately drew attention for putting a black model on the cover in 1968 and being the first women’s magazine to do so. She continued running copy on once-scandalous subjects such as feminism, rape, and abortion. Whitney retired as editor-in-chief in 1998.
Until her death, she served on the board of the NOW Legal Defense Fund.
Quotations: Mrs. Whitney explained her goal as editor in chief of Glamour: ''I always felt that I had a mission. I wanted to broaden the scope of a magazine to go with women's lives. I never wanted to appeal to everyone. That's not what we were about, and that's not the secret of our success. But I really wanted to make women feel good about themselves, not just about what they wore.''
Ruth Whitney was a member of United States Information Agency, Women in Media, Women in Communications, American Society Magazine Editors and others.
Despite her low-key manner, Ruth was fond of controversy.
Quotes from others about the person
''Ruth Whitney was always trying to get as much real information into the pages of a fashion and beauty magazine as she possibly could,'' Gloria Steinem, a former contributing editor to Glamour, said.
On November 19, 1949 Ruth married Daniel A. Whitney. They had a child, Philip, and a daughter-in-law, Christina.