Esther Van Wagoner Tufty (July 2, 1896 – May 4, 1986) was an American journalist whose career spanned six decades.

[1][2] Immediately out of high school, she began working for her local newspaper, the Pontiac Press, as assistant society editor for $7.50 a week.

She earned the nickname "Duchess", which was often attributed to her height and regal bearing or coronet of braids, but actually originated when a European innkeeper mistook her for another guest arriving that day.

[1][2][3][4] Tufty began working as a radio journalist during World War II, with the fifteen minute program Headlines from Washington on the Atlantic Coast Network.

[1][2] Early in her radio career, she was nicknamed the "headache girl" because her program was sponsored by St. Joseph Aspirin.

[1] Tufty suffered a number of serious injuries and illnesses over the years: breast cancer, a broken leg that forced her to walk with a cane, the loss of an eye, and the installation of seven pacemakers.