Jeanne Judson (January 5, 1888 or 1889 – January 9, 1981)^[1] was an American reporter and novelist. She began her writing career as a contributor to various newspapers and magazines. During the early and middle 20th century, she published more than 70 romance novels.^[1][2] She also published under the aliases Emily Thorne and Francis Dean Hancock.^[2][3][4]

Career

Editor

Judson was born in Michigan but lived in various cities throughout her life, including San Francisco, Chicago, Detroit, New York, Grand Rapids, and St. Louis. She claimed that she had started doing editorial work for a living as early as the age of 15. During her career, she worked as a printer, a proof-reader, a reporter, a press agent, an advertising copy writer, an advertising salesperson, and an editor.^[2]

She worked as a reporter in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Chicago, and St. Louis. In 1916, she moved to New York and joined the editorial staff of The Smart Set as an editor. She also contributed to The Sun's Sunday supplement, the Ladies Home Journal, and Harper's Bazaar.^[1]

Author

Judson's fiction work included short stories and novels in both single publication and serial forms. Two of her novels were made into films, The Beckoning Roads and Social Briars,^[5] shortly after their publication. After a few early fiction successes, she mostly published non-fiction pieces until the 1950s when she returned to publishing romance novels.^[1][2]