Died at 88 in Santa Fe: Sallie Bingham, daughter of noted Louisville Courier Journal proprietors
Sallie Bingham, a prominent writer and philanthropist, passed away in New Mexico at the age of 88. Born into the Bingham family, who owned the Louisville Courier-Journal, Bingham's life and work significantly impacted the newspaper and women's causes.
Bingham joined the Courier-Journal as book page editor in 1981, challenging the newspaper's treatment of employees, particularly women and minorities, and openly engaging in political activism. Her actions, which violated company ethics rules, escalated tensions within the Bingham family's control of the papers.
In 1985, Bingham founded the Kentucky Foundation for Women, a nonprofit organisation dedicated to supporting women artists and writers. This was made possible by using some of her share of the proceeds from the sale of the Louisville newspapers. The foundation's mission, as described by Bingham, was to support and fund women artists working for social change.
Bingham's activism and family feud contributed to the unraveling of the family-owned media dynasty, culminating in the 1986 sale of the Courier-Journal. Suspicions about the death of her wealthy maternal grandmother, Mary Lily Kenan Flagler, who died just months after her wedding in 1917, also added to the family's turmoil.
Apart from her direct influence on the newspaper's internal culture, Bingham was a prominent feminist activist and philanthropist. She donated a farmhouse, which she named Hopscotch House, to the Kentucky Foundation for Women. The house served as a centre for feminist art, literature, and activism. Bingham also helped establish the Sallie Bingham Center for Women’s History and Culture at Duke University, which preserves women’s histories and voices.
However, Bingham's relationship with the Kentucky Foundation for Women fractured last year when she filed a lawsuit against it, arguing that its attempt to sell the eastern Jefferson County farmhouse it owned went against its mission. The lawsuit remains pending in federal court in Louisville.
In her later years, Bingham resided in Sante Fe, New Mexico, since 1991. She is survived by a sister, Eleanor Bingham Miller, two sons, Barry Ellsworth, a film producer and art gallerist, and Christopher Iovenko, a writer, and five grandchildren.
This combination of internal media influence and external feminist leadership made Bingham a pivotal figure in both dismantling a conservative family media empire and advancing women's cultural and historical representation.
| Aspect | Details | |----------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Impact on Courier-Journal | Challenged employee treatment practices; public political activism; central to family dispute | | 1986 Sale Influence | Her activism and family feud contributed to ending Bingham family control and the paper’s sale | | Advancement of Women’s Causes| Founded Kentucky Foundation for Women; established women’s archives at Duke; feminist literature | | Legal Dispute | Filed a lawsuit against Kentucky Foundation for Women over farmhouse sale | | Later Years | Resided in Sante Fe, New Mexico; survived by family members |
- Sallie Bingham, an editor at the Courier-Journal and a renowned philanthropist, used her share of the sale proceeds from the Louisville newspapers to establish the Kentucky Foundation for Women, a nonprofit organization that supports women artists and writers, furthering her commitment to advancing women's causes.
- In addition to her impact on the Courier-Journal, Bingham was instrumental in the 1986 sale of the paper, as her activism and family feud escalated tensions within the Bingham family's control of the papers.
- The Kentucky Foundation for Women, a nonprofit organization founded by Bingham, has recently been embroiled in a legal dispute regarding the sale of a farmhouse, which she donated to the organization, as Bingham filed a lawsuit against it in federal court in Louisville.
