Alvin Scott McCoy (July 14, 1903 – March 12, 1988) was an American journalist of ''

The Kansas City Star ''The Kansas City Star'' is a newspaper based in Kansas City, Missouri. Published since 1880, the paper is the recipient of eight Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Star'' is most notable for its influence on the career of President Harry S. Truman and as ...

'' who won the

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...

in 1954 for a series of articles published the previous year that drove C. Wesley Roberts to resign as

chairman of the Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is a U.S. political committee that assists the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican brand and political platform, as well as assisting in fun ...

Biography

Alvin Scott McCoy was born on July 14, 1903, in

Cheney, Kansas Cheney is a city in Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 2,181. History Cheney was founded in August, 1883. It was named for Benjamin P. Cheney, stockholder of the Atchison, Topeka and ...

. He received an A.B. degree in 1925 from the

University of Kansas at Lawrence The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...

, majoring in chemistry. After spending two years at

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...

Dodge City Dodge City is the county seat of Ford County, Kansas, United States, named after nearby Fort Dodge. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 27,788. The city is famous in American culture for its history as a wild frontier town ...

, Kansas, and one year traveling around the world in 1928 and 1929, McCoy was first employed in newspaper work as a reporter of the '' Evening Eagle'' in

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had ...

. He spent eighteen months on this newspaper and on the Wichita '' Morning Eagle''. In November, 1930, he joined the ''

Kansas City Star ''The Kansas City Star'' is a newspaper based in Kansas City, Missouri. Published since 1880, the paper is the recipient of eight Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Star'' is most notable for its influence on the career of President Harry S. Truman and as ...

'' as a reporter and worked on general assignments. Years later, McCoy served as the ''Star''

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vast ...

correspondent in 1945. That same year he began covering Kansas state politics, legislature, news and features. He also did some editorial writing as well as scientific stories. C. Wesley Roberts was accused of collecting a $10,000 commission on the sale of a hospital to the State of Kansas which the state already owned.

Distinctions

*President of William Allen White Foundation at the School of Journalism at University of Kansas *Member of the Kansas University Endowment association *Member of the research committee of the Kansas Association of School Boards

Bibliography

* ''The Pulitzer Prize Archive: A History and Anthology of Award Winning Materials in Journalism, Letters and Arts'', Volume 6, Editor Heinz-Dietrich Fischer, Publisher Walter de Gruyter, , 9783598301704, 420 pages.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McCoy, Alvin American male journalists 20th-century American journalists Journalists from Kansas People from Sedgwick County, Kansas Pulitzer Prize winners for journalism Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting winners The Kansas City Star people 1903 births 1988 deaths