Merlo John Pusey (February 3, 1902 in

Woodruff, Utah Woodruff is a town in Rich County, Utah, United States. The population was 180 at the 2010 census. History The first settlement at Woodruff was made in 1870. A post office called Woodruff has been in operation since 1872. The town was named i ...

– November 22, 1985 in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

) was an American biographer and editorial writer. He won the 1952

Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography The Pulitzer Prize for Biography is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. It has been presented since 1917 for a distinguished biography, autobiography or memoir by an American author ...

and the 1952

Bancroft Prize The Bancroft Prize is awarded each year by the trustees of Columbia University for books about diplomacy or the history of the Americas. It was established in 1948, with a bequest from Frederic Bancroft, in his memory and that of his brother, ...

for his 1951 biography of U.S. Chief Justice

Charles Evans Hughes Charles Evans Hughes Sr. (April 11, 1862 – August 27, 1948) was an American statesman, politician and jurist who served as the 11th Chief Justice of the United States from 1930 to 1941. A member of the Republican Party, he previously was the ...

. Born and raised on a farm near

, Pusey was a

Latter-day Saint Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into sever ...

. He attended the

Latter-day Saints University Ensign College (formerly LDS Business College) is a private college in Salt Lake City, Utah. The college is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and operates under its Church Educational System. It also includes a ...

—now Ensign College—and graduated as a member of

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

from the

University of Utah The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of D ...

after working on the college newspaper. He later became a reporter and assistant city editor at ''

The Deseret News The ''Deseret News'' () is the oldest continuously operating publication in the American west. Its multi-platform products feature journalism and commentary across the fields of politics, culture, family life, faith, sports, and entertainment. Th ...

'' in Salt Lake City. Pusey worked for ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...

'' from 1928 to 1971, becoming associate editor in 1946, continuing to contribute occasional pieces until about two years before his death. Between 1931 and 1933, Pusey was a part-time member of the staff of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee. From 1939 until 1942, he was an instructor in journalism at

George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , presi ...

. His interest in Roosevelt's "court packing plan" led directly to his biography of Hughes, who was chief justice at the time, and who gave him a number of interviews and full access to his private papers. Other books include ''Big Government: Can We Control It?'' (1945), ''Eisenhower the President'' (1956), ''The'' ''USA Astride the World'' (1971), and '' Eugene Meyer'' (1974), a biography of the financier and public official who bought ''

'' at a bankruptcy sale in June 1933. In later years, Pusey lived on a farm in Dickerson, Maryland. He was a member of the

American Political Science Association The American Political Science Association (APSA) is a professional association of political science students and scholars in the United States. Founded in 1903 in the Tilton Memorial Library (now Tilton Hall) of Tulane University in New Orleans, ...

, the

Cosmos Club The Cosmos Club is a 501(c)(7) private social club in Washington, D.C. that was founded by John Wesley Powell in 1878 as a gentlemen's club for those interested in science. Among its stated goals is, "The advancement of its members in science, ...

, and the

National Press Club Organizations A press club is an organization for journalists and others professionally engaged in the production and dissemination of news. A press club whose membership is defined by the press of a given country may be known as a National Pres ...

. After publishing ''Ripples of Intuition'', a book of poetry, in 1984, he died of cancer in 1985.

Books

* ''The Supreme Court Crisis'' (Macmillan, 1937) * ''Big Government: Can We Control It?'' (Harper, 1945) * ''

'' (2 vols., Macmillan, 1951).

* ''

Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

, the President'' (Macmillan, 1956) * ''The Way We Go to War'' (Houghton Mifflin, 1969) * ''The USA Astride the Globe'' (Houghton Mifflin, 1971) * '' Eugene Meyer'' (Knopf, 1974) * ''Builders of the Kingdom, George A. Smith,

John Henry Smith John Henry Smith (September 18, 1848 – October 13, 1911) was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He was a prominent politician in Utah and ...

George Albert Smith George Albert Smith Sr. (April 4, 1870 – April 4, 1951) was an American religious leader who served as the eighth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Early life Born in Salt Lake City, Utah Territo ...

'' (Brigham Young University, c1981) * ''Ripples of Intuition'' (Eden Hill, 1984; Signature Books, Inc., 1986).

References

* "Merlo J. Pusey Dies; Justice's Biographer Won a Pulitzer Prize". ''The New York Times''. November 24, 1985: 44.

External links

Papers of Merlo J. Pusey, Manuscript and Materials regarding ''Eisenhower the President'', Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pusey, Merlo J. 1902 births 1985 deaths American male journalists 20th-century American journalists Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography winners Bancroft Prize winners The Washington Post people American Latter Day Saints 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American male writers American male biographers

Books

See also

References

External links