Ida Minerva Tarbell was born in Erie, Pennsylvania, November 5, 1857 (Lowrie). She was the daughter of Esther and Franklin Tarbell (Lowrie). At the age of three, Ida moved to Titusville, Pennsylvania with her family (Lowrie). Tarbell's mother took a teaching job and his father became an oil producer and refiner in their new town (Lowrie). As King wrote, "His father's business, along with those of many other small businessmen, was adversely affected by the South Improvement Company's scheme between the railroads and larger oil interests." Tarbell remained in Titusville and finished high school there (Lowrie). She then studied at Allegheny College in 1876, where she graduated in 1880, the only woman in her class (Lowrie). Tarbell began her career as a teacher in Poland, Ohio and after two years “realized that teaching was too much for her and that she liked to write more” (Lowrie). Tarbell returned to Pennsylvania, where he met Theodore L. Flood, editor of The Chautauquan (Lowrie). He quickly accepted Flood's offer to write for the newspaper; she said, “I was happy to be of service, because I had grown up with what was called the Chautauqua movement” (Lowrie). In 1886 he became editor-in-chief (Lowrie). In the 1890s, Ida wrote articles for many magazines, including McClure's Magazine, and was eventually offered the position of editor for McClure's (King). His series on Abraham Lincoln ended up being published in a book because the articles doubled the magazine's popularity (King). This gave Tarbell a national reputation as an important writer. Tarbell had always accused Standard Oil Company leader John D. Rockefeller of putting his father and many other small oil companies out of business with the use of his ruthless tactics. ...... middle of paper ......arbell definitely fit the muckraker persona, she didn't like the muckraker label (Weinberg). Tarbell wrote the article "Muckraker or Historian", in which he justified his efforts to expose the oil trust (King). He absolutely didn't want to stir up society; he simply wanted to show the Standard Oil Company's abuse of power and stop it. Ida Tarbell left a large footprint for women, journalists and muckrakers to fill after her death on January 6, 1944 at the age of 86 (Lowrie). In 2000, Tarbell was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, New York (Weinberg). On September 14, 2002, the United States Postal Service issued a stamp honoring Tarbell as a famous journalist (Weinberg). Her legacy is long but forgotten, and her work is considered one of the most lasting impacts on monopolies, journalism, and women's empowerment.