Leckie was a journalist who first came to prominence in Chicago, covering the imprisonment of
Emma Goldman.[3] She was one of the first women reporters with the
City News Bureau of Chicago,[4] and wrote about the muckraking work of
Ella Reeve Bloor,[5] the hazards of city life for young women,[6] and the
murder of Avis Linnell,[7] among other news topics of the day. She also regularly covered fashion,[8] and the New York stage.[9]
Leckie was a reporter for the Chicago Chronicle, the Chicago American, and the New York Evening Journal. She held editorial positions on the magazines The Delineator (1907–1908), Woman's Magazine (1908–1912) and The Housekeeper (1913).[10][11]
Leckie expanded into the field of publicity and consulting, opening her own public relations agency in New York City. One of her first prominent clients was
Rosika Schwimmer, whose 1914 speaking tour she managed. In 1915–16, Leckie served as press agent for the
Henry Ford Peace Expedition, working closely with
Louis P. Lochner.[12] The following year, she was recruited as an editor for the
United States Food Administration's daily news service.[13][14]
Leckie was a member of
Heterodoxy, a feminist debating group based in Greenwich Village;[15] she was also a member of the Woman's Political Union, the Chicago Political Equality League, and the Woman's Press Association.[16]
Personal life
Leckie had a close relationship with
Clarence Darrow when both were living in Chicago.[17][18]
Leckie died on July 22, 1930. The papers of Katherine Leckie are archived in the
New York Public Library.[19]