Virginia O'Hanlon

Laura Virginia O'Hanlon Douglas (July 20, 1889 – May 13, 1971) was an American educator best known for writing a letter as a child to the New York newspaper The Sun that inspired the 1897 editorial "Is There a Santa Claus?".

The editorial, by Francis Pharcellus Church, contains the line "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus", and brought attention to O'Hanlon for the rest of her life.

"[3] O'Hanlon later told The Sun that her father thought the newspaper would be "too busy" to respond to her question and had said, "Write if you want to," but not to be disappointed if she did not get a response.

"[6] Described by Christmas historian Gerald Bowler as "the most famous editorial in history", it has been translated into 20 languages, set to music, and adapted into at least two movies.

O'Hanlon continued to say that while she was initially very proud of her role in the editorial's publication, she eventually came to understand that "the important thing was" Church's writing.

[10][11] O'Hanlon received mail about her letter throughout her life, particularly during the Christmas and holiday season,[10] and would include a copy of the editorial in her replies.

[12] She also occasionally read the editorial as part of Christmas celebrations and spoke about it on request,[10] for instance delivering a lecture at Hunter College in 1933.

"[15] O'Hanlon received a Bachelor of Arts from the Normal College of the City of New York in 1910 and a master's degree in education from Columbia University in 1911.

[19] A copy of the letter, hand-written by Virginia and believed by her family to be the original and returned to them by the newspaper,[10] was authenticated in 1998 by Kathleen Guzman, an appraiser on the television program Antiques Roadshow.