If a movie or television show were to be made about a successful woman executive in the traditionally male world of American publishing, Eleanor Medill Patterson would be an ideal model for the heroine; her life contained most of the basic dramatic elements needed to capture and keep a contemporary audience. She was a wealthy socialite, playing a leading role on the social stages of Chicago and Washington, D.C.; she was once married to a Polish count and cavalry officer. Her grandfather developed the Chicago Tribune. As a widow, she asked an old friend, William Randolph Hearst, for a job, and he handed her the editorship of a failing Washington, D.C., newspaper, despite her lack of journalistic experience.

Surprisingly, in light of her seeming disinterest in life outside the social scene, Patterson quickly assumed the role of activist editor: she interviewed Al Capone, boosted reader interest...