Francis P. Church was working on the New York Sun in 1897 as an anonymous editorial writer.

Since Church, the son of a Baptist minister, had a background in religion, most of the letters to the Sun that dealt with sticky theological issues went to him.

In December 1897, he received a letter written by eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon. O'Hanlon said that her friends were telling her that there was no Santa Claus. She asked the Sun if this was true.

Church's reply, which contained the line "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus," became perhaps the most famous editorial of all time. The Sun reprinted it each year until it went out of business in 1949.

Virginia O'Hanlon went on to become a teacher in the New York City school system, later becoming a principal.

Throughout her life she received a steady stream of mail about her Santa Claus letter, and she replied to each one.

Virginia O'Hanlon Douglas died on May 13, 1971, at the age of 81.