50 YEARS AGO

Famed letter-writer Virginia dies

Laura Virginia O’hanlon Douglas, the woman whose letter 73 years ago inspired the New York Sun editorial, “Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus,” died May 13 at Barnwell Nursing Home in Valatie after a long illness. She was 81. The editorial by the newspaper’s assistant editor Francis P. Church to an 8-year-old girl’s letter had become an American tradition and the most reprinted editorial in the English language. She had written saying, in part, “Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, ‘If you see it in the Sun, it’s so. Please tell me the truth. Is there a Santa Claus?” O’hanlon Douglas routinely received mail about the editorial but said it should have been Church who was remembered because his editorial embodied “the philosophy of hope and love.” He had died in 1906 when she was 17. Born in New York City, she had received a master’s degree from Columbia University and a doctorate from Fordham University. She retired after a 43-year career in education in 1959.

▶ Looking Back is compiled by C.J. Lais Jr. and Azra Haqqie. For questions or to submit information, contact Tim Blydenburgh, 518-454-5421 or tblydenburgh@timesunion.com