Sylvia Porter

Sylvia Porter was one of the most successful financial columnists and writers in America. At the height of her career, she had over forty million people reading her syndicated financial columns. When Sylvia was a freshman in college, the affects of the stock market crash made her realize that the economy had to change. Switching her major to economics, Sylvia wanted to better understand the reason why the stock market had crashed. After college, she worked for a number of investment counseling firms and soon became an expert in government securities. With her knowledge on banking and economics, she began writing columns for many important newspapers.

During the years, her columns carried the byline of S.F. Porter. She wrote her financial columns in a language that was understood by her readers. Her popularity rose and she wasn't afraid of exposing corruption or bad behavior in the financial community. It wasn't until 1942 that the readers discovered that S.F. Porter was a woman. The readers accepted a woman with such reputation and expertise as a financial advisor and writer. Her column was scattered throughout the country making Sylvia in great demand for speaking engagements.

Sylvia Porter has received many tributes from civic and business organizations, which included fourteen honorary doctoral degrees. She was the leading force that made it possible for women to enter the field of business and financial journalism. Her expertise combined with her ability to make business and financial language understandable for all people established her as an authority in a field dominated by men.