Jean Sharley Taylor was born in Detroit on June 14, 1924, and died on October 10, 2015.
She was a British born American journalist.
Taylor started as a fashion writer at the Detroit Free Press, she ended up covering political conventions, the Kennedy inauguration and other news events.
She worked as the associate editor there before heading for Los Angeles in 1971 and the associate editor, in 1974.
Jean also worked at the Arizona Republic as women’s editor in 1967.
Jean was thought to be the first woman ever on the Times masthead, this was spot reserved for the newspaper’s highest-ranking journalists.
Jean was a groundbreaking journalist at the Los Angeles Times who for years was the only woman named on the newspaper’s masthead.
When she wrote moving stories about the funeral of slain civil rights activist Viola Liuzzo, she received hate mail and death threats.
She had retired from the Los Angeles Times as associate editor in 1989.
She has worked 18 years with the newspaper, she supervised hundreds of journalists and helped to establish the Los Angeles Times Magazine, the daily Calendar section and the Book Review.
Jean also supervised coverage in the food, travel and real estate sections and assisted the newspaper won three Pulitzer Prizes for arts coverage.
Jean Sharley Taylor passed away at 91 yrs old due to Alzheimer’s disease and colorectal cancer.