Virginia Kirkus (December 7, 1893 – September 10, 1980) was the founder and president of what would become Kirkus Reviews from 1933 to 1962.
Before creating her service in 1933, Kirkus was a teacher in Delaware during the late 1910s. In the 1920s, Kirkus went to New York to edit for Pictorial Review and McCall's. She was recruited to head the newly created children's fiction section for Harper & Brothers from 1925 to 1932.