Mildred Mighell, at 21, had just begun her journalism career in Aurora, Illinois, when she received an unexpected offer from her alma mater: return to Ann Arbor to manage The Michigan Daily. It was 1918, and the U-M campus was largely male-free due to the global conflict, leaving the newspaper’s staff depleted. Mighell’s appointment made her the first female managing editor of the publication, which was founded in 1890.
Clarence Roeser, who was to lead the Daily that fall, enlisted for war, prompting the Board in Control of Student Publications to select Mighell as his replacement. Her $25-a-week role saw her guiding the paper through challenging times, claiming her team produced the best college paper in the country. She expressed confidence in their ability to make a mark despite wartime adversities.
However, Mighell soon found herself embroiled in controversy. In 1919, a faculty chair discovered three reporters, two men and a woman, engaged in after-hours poker, which escalated into the infamous “great poker scandal.” Misreports inflated the number of gambling students and suggested they were playing strip poker during a time when Prohibition was newly enacted.
Mighell faced scrutiny for not reporting the incident promptly, leading the board to demote her to editorial writer as Roeser resumed his position. The scandal resulted in the punishment of the reporters and Mighell’s departure from Ann Arbor. She later pursued a career in publications and founded the World Federalist Society, promoting global governance.
— Adapted from a story written by Kim Clarke for the LSA Women in History series
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