Ralph Pulitzer (June 11, 1879 – June 14, 1939) was an American heir, newspaper publisher and author. He served as the president of the
Press Publishing Co., which published the ''
New York World
The ''New York World'' was a newspaper published in New York City from 1860 until 1931. The paper played a major role in the history of American newspapers. It was a leading national voice of the Democratic Party. From 1883 to 1911 under pub ...
'' and the ''
Evening World
''The Evening World'' was a newspaper that was published in New York City from 1887 to 1931. It was owned by Joseph Pulitzer, and served as an evening edition of the ''New York World.''
History
The first issue was on October 10, 1887. It was publ ...
''.
Early life
Ralph Pulitzer was born on June 11, 1879, in
St. Louis
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
, Missouri.
He was the son of Katherine "Kate" (
née Davis) Pulitzer and
Joseph Pulitzer
Joseph Pulitzer ( ; born Pulitzer József, ; April 10, 1847 – October 29, 1911) was a Hungarian-American politician and newspaper publisher of the '' St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' and the ''New York World''. He became a leading national figure in ...
, the newspaper magnate.
His mother was rumored to be a distant relative of
Jefferson Davis, former president of the
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...
.
Pulitzer was educated at
St. Mark's School in
Southborough, Massachusetts
Southborough is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. It incorporates the villages of Cordaville, Fayville, and Southville. Its name is often informally shortened to Southboro, a usage seen on many area signs and maps, though ...
. He graduated from
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
.
Career
Pulitzer served as the publisher of the ''New York World'' until 1931, when it was acquired by
E. W. Scripps Company
The E. W. Scripps Company is an American broadcasting company founded in 1878 as a chain of daily newspapers by Edward Willis "E. W." Scripps and his sister, Ellen Browning Scripps. It was also formerly a media conglomerate. The company is he ...
.
He subsequently served as the vice president of the Pulitzer Publishing Company, which published the ''
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
The ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' is a major regional newspaper based in St. Louis, Missouri, serving the St. Louis metropolitan area. It is the largest daily newspaper in the metropolitan area by circulation, surpassing the ''Belleville News-De ...
''.
Pulitzer was the author of two books. His first book, entitled ''New York Society on Parade'', was published in 1910.
His second book, entitled ''Over the Front in an Aeroplane and scenes inside the French and Flemish Trenches'', was published in 1915; it was about
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.
His book contains descriptions of life in the trenches and the artillery used by the French in the early months of the War. It also includes sixteen photographs taken during his tour of several locations on the Front.
Pulitzer was an active supporter of the
National Air Races. He sponsored the
Pulitzer Trophy Race to encourage higher speed in landplanes. He was also a big-game hunter.
Personal life and death
Pulitzer was married twice. On October 14, 1905, he married
Frederica Vanderbilt Webb (1882–1949),
the daughter of
and
William Seward Webb
William Seward Webb (January 31, 1851 – October 29, 1926) was a businessman, and inspector general of the Vermont militia with the rank of colonel. He was a founder and former president of the Sons of the American Revolution.
Early life
Webb wa ...
.
Before their divorce in Paris, France in 1924, they were the parents of two sons:
* Ralph Pulitzer Jr. (1906–1965), who married Bess Aspinwall.
* Seward Webb Pulitzer (1911–1972),
who married Billie Boldemann in March 1932.
Four months after their divorce, Frederica married Cyril Hamlen Jones,
later headmaster of
Milton Academy
Milton Academy (also known as Milton) is a highly selective, coeducational, independent preparatory, boarding and day school in Milton, Massachusetts consisting of a grade 9–12 Upper School and a grade K–8 Lower School. Boarding is offered ...
in
Milton, Massachusetts
Milton is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States and an affluent suburb of Boston. The population was 28,630 at the 2020 census. Milton is the birthplace of former U.S. President George H. W. Bush, and architect Buckminster Fuller. ...
, and the former tutor to Pulitzer's two sons during the winter of 1921 to 1922.
In 1928, Ralph Pulitzer married
Vassar College
Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely foll ...
graduate
Margaret Kernochan Leech,
who, after his death, received two
Pulitzer Prizes for her own work.
One of his daughters by his second marriage died of infantile paralysis, or
poliomyelitis, in France before her first birthday.
[The Pulitzer Prize archives](_blank)
/ref> The other was:
* Susan Pulitzer (1932–1965), who married Sydney J. Freedberg in April 1954.
Pulitzer died during an abdominal operation on June 14, 1939, at the Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. His funeral was held at St. Thomas Protestant Episcopal Church. He was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, in the Bronx. His widow died at her home, 812 Fifth Avenue, on February 24, 1974.
Works
*
*
References
External links
*
*
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Pulitzer, Ralph
1879 births
1939 deaths
American people of Hungarian-Jewish descent
Businesspeople from St. Louis
Businesspeople from New York City
St. Mark's School (Massachusetts) alumni
Harvard University alumni
Ralph
Ralph (pronounced ; or ,) is a male given name of English, Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the Old English ''Rædwulf'' and Radulf, cognate with the Old Norse ''Raðulfr'' (''rað'' "counsel" and ''ulfr'' "wolf").
The most common forms ...
American non-fiction writers
Writers from New York City
Writers from St. Louis