Teacher Annie Brown Leslie was among the first advice columnists in the country. Thoughout the Great Depression, her readers chipped in thousands of dollars to finance philanthropic endeavors she supported. Photo credit: The Detroit News
Many fine classroom teachers are also successful journalists. One of these was Annie Brown Leslie, a teacher from Maine who earned acclaim as one of the country’s first advice columnists.
Annie was born on Dec. 11, 1870, in Perry, Maine, the daughter of a farmer and Civil War veteran. As a young girl, she attended high school in Middleborough, Massachusetts. Upon her graduation in 1888, she enrolled at Mount Holyoke College, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in 1892.
After earning her degree, Annie inaugurated her career as a schoolteacher. Over the course of ten years, she taught in schools in Rockville, Connecticut; White River Junction, Vermont; and Mount Clemens, Michigan.
On Sept. 19, 1904, Annie married journalist and editor James Edward Leslie. After he died in 1917, she took over his position as the drama editor for the Pittsburgh Dispatch. Before long, using the pen name “Nancy Brown,” Annie began to publish an advice column entitled “Experience” for The Detroit News. The column ran from 1917 to 1942. In fact, she was among the first advice columnists in the country. Because of her common-sense philosophy, the former teacher won respect and widespread readership, and her column grew to be immensely influential. In 1929, her readers donated substantial funds to plant trees in a clearcut forest in Northern Michigan. At her suggestion, her readers contributed to a fundraising campaign in 1930 to purchase artwork for the Detroit Institute of Arts. They also funded a concert series by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Thoughout the Great Depression, thousands of readers chipped in pennies or a dollar, or two, or five, for philanthropic endeavors supported by “Nancy Brown.”
Sadly, Annie Brown Leslie passed away on Oct. 7, 1948. She was 77 years old. To read more about this amazing educator and journalist, see this article about her published by The Detroit News.
