Louis Stark (May 1, 1888 – May 17, 1954) was an American journalist. He spent most of his career working as an economic reporter for ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
''. He won a
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 1942.
He is considered "a pioneer in the field of labor reporting."
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...
called him the "dean of all reporters on the labor scene."
Early life and education
Stark was born on May 1, 1888, in
Tibolddaróc, Hungary. He was the son of Adolph Stark and Rose (Kohn) Stark, and moved with them to the United States when he was two years old. The family settled in New York, where he attended public schools,
DeWitt Clinton High School
, motto_translation = Without Work Nothing Is Accomplished
, image = DeWitt Clinton High School front entrance IMG 7441 HLG.jpg
, seal_image = File:Clinton News.JPG
, seal_size = 124px
, ...
, and the
New York Training School for Teachers.
Career
In 1909, Stark taught for six months at
Public School 75 in New York. He then worked as a book agent for a New York publisher. From 1909 to 1913, he was employed in publishing and advertising. In 1911, he held a job in the advertising department of ''The New York Times'', then "began to do occasional assignments" for Arthur Greaves, then that newspaper's city editor, who helped Stark find a job with the New York City News Association. After working as a general assignment reporter for the ''City News'' from 1913 to 1917, Stark went over to the ''
Evening Sun'' in 1917, and to the ''Times'' later that same year. From 1917 to 1922, he was a staff member at the ''Times''.
He became a labor specialist in 1924 at the suggestion of Carr V. Van Anda, then managing editor of the ''Times''. From then until 1951, he reported on business, economic affairs, and labor news for ''The New York Times'', based in that newspaper's Washington bureau. During his first two days in Washington he "came up with two important exclusives," including the founding of the
National Recovery Administration
The National Recovery Administration (NRA) was a prime agency established by U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) in 1933. The goal of the administration was to eliminate "cut throat competition" by bringing industry, labor, and governmen ...
. "He covered all topics that have a connection to employment and the workforce," notes one source, "including strikes, international conventions of labor organizations, and the organization of labor, as well as national legislation and its impact on labor. He had a reputation for his 'accuracy and impartiality.'"
In a November 1935 article, "Cars and the Men," Stark reported on automobile workers in
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...
who had lost their jobs owing to increased mechanization.
He reported on the 1936 Akron rubber workers strike, on the activities of the
National War Labor Board, on the U.S. government's takeover of railroads in December 1943, on the postwar decline of
Henry A. Wallace
Henry Agard Wallace (October 7, 1888 – November 18, 1965) was an American politician, journalist, farmer, and businessman who served as the 33rd vice president of the United States, the 11th U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, and the 10th U.S. S ...
's
Progressive Party Progressive Party may refer to:
Active parties
* Progressive Party, Brazil
* Progressive Party (Chile)
* Progressive Party of Working People, Cyprus
* Dominica Progressive Party
* Progressive Party (Iceland)
* Progressive Party (Sardinia), Italy
...
, on postwar concerns about a potential alliance between "an extremely nationalistic Germany and Soviet Russia," on efforts in the late 1940s to purge Communists from unions, and on efforts by Communist labor leaders to survive those efforts, among hundreds of other topics.
Stark's ''Times'' obituary drew special attention to a series of articles he had written on the battles in the
Harlan County, Kentucky
Harlan County is a county located in southeastern Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 26,831. Its county seat is Harlan. It is classified as a moist countya county in which alcohol sales are prohibited (a dry county), but conta ...
, coal fields, and to the "virtual running account" he had provided to ''Times'' readers "of the union organizing campaigns, including the rise of the
Congress of Industrial Organizations
The Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) was a federation of unions that organized workers in industrial unions in the United States and Canada from 1935 to 1955. Originally created in 1935 as a committee within the American Federation of ...
, the sit-down strikes and John L. Lewis." The ''Times'' also noted his coverage of the heresy trial of Bishop William Montgomery and of the
Sacco-Vanzetti case
Nicola Sacco (; April 22, 1891 – August 23, 1927) and Bartolomeo Vanzetti (; June 11, 1888 – August 23, 1927) were Italian immigrant anarchists who were controversially accused of murdering Alessandro Berardelli and Frederick Parmenter, a ...
. An account by Stark of the latter case appeared in a book by ''Times'' writers entitled "We Saw It Happen".
Senator
Paul Douglas
Paul Howard Douglas (March 26, 1892 – September 24, 1976) was an American politician and Georgist economist. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a U.S. Senator from Illinois for eighteen years, from 1949 to 1967. During his Senat ...
, Democrat of Illinois, once said on the Senate floor: "I have never known Lou Stark to make a factual error in a story."
In 1951, Stark left Washington to become an editorial writer for the ''Times'' in New York. At a dinner marking his farewell to Washington, Fred Perkins of the Scripps-Howard Newspaper Alliance said: "We regard Louis Stark as the pioneer of labor reporters. He has made the daily affairs of labor unions sought-for news among the newspapers."
When he departed Washington, former
President Truman
Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...
said in a statement: "I want you to know that you carry with you in your new position the respect and admiration of all those who have had the privilege of knowing you and of reading your careful reporting."
From 1951 to 1954, he was a member of the ''Times'' editorial department in New York.
His last editorial, "Trade Union Democracy," written on the last day of his life, noted approvingly the decision of the
Upholsterers International Union of North America
The Upholsterers International Union of North America (called the UIU or UIUNA) was a North American labor union of upholsterers. It was founded in 1892 when eight small met at a conference in Chicago and agreed to combine. It affiliated with the ...
to create an independent "court" that would allow any union member at risk of being punished by their unions "to put his case before an impartial nine-man board of jurists, educators and former public officials."
Book
He wrote ''Labor and the New Deal: Public Affairs Pamphlets, Number 2'' (1936).
Other writings
He also wrote for ''
'', ''
Survey Graphic
''Survey Graphic'' (SG) was a United States magazine launched in 1921. From 1921 to 1932, it was published as a supplement to ''The Survey'' and became a separate publication in 1933. ''SG'' focused on sociological and political research and ana ...
'', ''
The Atlantic Monthly
''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science.
It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...
'', ''
The Yale Review
''The Yale Review'' is the oldest literary journal in the United States. It is published by Johns Hopkins University Press.
It was founded in 1819 as ''The Christian Spectator'' to support Evangelicalism. Over time it began to publish more on hi ...
'', ''
The Nation's Business
''The Nation's Business'' is a Canadian free-time political television series which began on CBC Television in 1956. The show, which was established with the consultation of the Canadian political parties, initially was 10 minutes long but was ...
'', ''
The Outlook'', and ''
Current History
''Current History'' is the oldest extant United States-based publication devoted exclusively to contemporary world affairs. The magazine was founded in 1914 by George Washington Ochs Oakes, brother of ''The New York Times'' publisher Adolph Ochs, ...
''.
Honors and awards
In 1937, he received an
Honorary Doctorate of Law from
Reed College
Reed College is a private liberal arts college in Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1908, Reed is a residential college with a campus in the Eastmoreland neighborhood, with Tudor-Gothic style architecture, and a forested canyon nature preserve at ...
. "In these times of strife, when the reason of men is clouded by passion and counsel is darkened by warring opinions," read the citation, "the people of this country are deeply indebted to Mr. Stark for his accurate and fair recording of events in the field of industrial relations. ... he leads his readers from darkness to light. He has shown that facts may be interesting and far better than fiction and propaganda. Never seeking publicity for himself, he has brought distinction to a great newspaper by living up to his ideal of searching for and presenting the whole truth."
In 1942, Stark won the
Pulitzer Prize for Telegraphic Reporting "for his distinguished reporting of important labor stories during the year."
Personal life
Stark married Jennie S. House in 1916. They had one son, Arthur, who at the time of Stark's death was executive secretary of the New York State Mediation Board.
Death
Stark died suddenly, only three hours after his wife had telephoned his last editorial to the ''Times'' offices. His obituary and a memorial tribute appeared in the same issue as his last editorial. He "had suffered a series of mild heart attacks" during the months before his death.
Legacy
A memorial article in the ''New York Times'' described Stark as
a colleague for whom we had a warm affection, Quiet and unassuming, with a kindly sense of humor, he had a devotion to duty that found him writing a final editorial on the very day of his death, even though he had excused himself from coming to the office. ... By contributing to full information on the problems of labor, its living conditions, its working conditions, and its aspirations Louis Stark served, by his own efforts, to improve the lot of the working man.
Writing in 1993 about the many ''New York Times'' journalists who have won Pulitzer Prizes,
Arnold Beichman
Arnold Beichman (May 17, 1913February 17, 2010 Podhoretz, John"Arnold Beichman, 1913–2010."''Commentary'', February 18, 2010. Archived frothe original./ref>) was an author, scholar, and a critic of communism. At the time of his death, he was ...
counted Stark among the small number of those winners who were "truly great journalists," along with
William Safire
William Lewis Safire (; Safir; December 17, 1929 – September 27, 2009Safire, William (1986). ''Take My Word for It: More on Language.'' Times Books. . p. 185.) was an American author, columnist, journalist, and presidential speechwriter. He w ...
,
James Reston
James Barrett Reston (November 3, 1909 – December 6, 1995), nicknamed "Scotty", was an American journalist whose career spanned the mid-1930s to the early 1990s. He was associated for many years with ''The New York Times.''
Early lif ...
,
A. M. Rosenthal
Abraham Michael Rosenthal (May 2, 1922 – May 10, 2006) was an American journalist who served as ''The New York Times'' executive editor from 1977 to 1986. Previously he was the newspaper's city editor and managing editor. Near the end of his tenu ...
, and
Brooks Atkinson
Justin Brooks Atkinson (November 28, 1894 – January 14, 1984) was an American theatre critic. He worked for ''The New York Times'' from 1922 to 1960. In his obituary, the ''Times'' called him "the theater's most influential reviewer of his ...
.
In 1955, the
U.S. Department of Labor
The United States Department of Labor (DOL) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is responsible for the administration of federal laws governing occupational safety and health, wage and hour standards, unemploym ...
incorporated the Louis Stark Memorial Fund "to foster improvement in labor relations, research and reporting."
The
Nieman Foundation
The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University is the primary journalism institution at Harvard. It was founded in February 1938 as the result of a $1.4 million bequest by Agnes Wahl Nieman, the widow of Lucius W. Nieman, founder of ' ...
awards the Louis Stark Nieman Fellowship in honor of Stark's memory.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stark, Louis
1954 deaths
1888 births
Journalists from New York City
Writers from New York City
Pulitzer Prize winners
Hungarian emigrants to the United States
DeWitt Clinton High School alumni
Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting winners
Pulitzer Prize winners for journalism