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 in ...

– 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 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 several ...

. He attended the Latter-day Saints University—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 ...

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 De ...

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 nati ...

'' 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 The United States Senate Committee on Finance (or, less formally, Senate Finance Committee) is a standing committee of the United States Senate. The Committee concerns itself with matters relating to taxation and other revenue measures general ...

. From 1939 until 1942, he was an instructor in journalism at

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Chartered in 1821 by the United States Congress, GWU is the largest Higher educat ...

. 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 Dickerson is an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Maryland. It is on Maryland Route 28, between Sugarloaf Mountain and the Potomac River. It is a community near the town of Poolesville, Maryland. Dickerson is . History Dickerson wa ...

. He was a member of the American Political Science Association, 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 Press ...

. 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). Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography * ''

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,

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 Territor ...

'' (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