Samuel Selwyn Chamberlain (25 September 1851 – 25 January 1916), also known under
pen name
A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name.
A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...
as S. S. Chamberlain, was an American journalist and newspaper editor.
Biography
Samuel Selwyn Chamberlain was born in
Walworth, New York
Walworth is a town in Wayne County, New York, United States named after Reuben Walworth, a state official. The population was 9,449 at the 2010 census.
The Town of Walworth is on the western border of the county and is east of Rochester, Ne ...
, on September 25, 1851. He was graduated from
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...
in 1875. He started his journalistic career at the ''
Newark Advertiser'' (1873–1874). Within a short time he joined the staff of the ''
New York World
The ''New York World'' was a newspaper published in New York City from 1860 to 1931. The paper played a major role in the history of American newspapers as a leading national voice of the Democratic Party. From 1883 to 1911 under publisher Jo ...
''. He then moved to the ''
New York Herald
The ''New York Herald'' was a large-distribution newspaper based in New York City that existed between 1835 and 1924. At that point it was acquired by its smaller rival the '' New-York Tribune'' to form the '' New York Herald Tribune''.
Hi ...
'' (1875–1879) as an assistant editor. He went abroad with
James Gordon Bennett Jr.
James Gordon Bennett Jr. (May 10, 1841May 14, 1918) was an American publisher. He was the publisher of the ''New York Herald'', founded by his father, James Gordon Bennett Sr. (1795–1872), who emigrated from Scotland. He was generally known as ...
of the ''Herald'', and was for a time editor of the Paris edition of that journal.
In 1879 Chamberlain became editor of the ''New York World'', but left to take charge of the ''
New York Evening Telegram
''The New York Evening Telegram'' was a New York City daily newspaper. It was established in 1867. The newspaper was published by James Gordon Bennett, Jr., and it was said to be considered to be an evening edition of the '' New York Herald'' ...
'' in 1881. He founded ''
Le Matin'' of
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
in 1884 and edited it for two years before returning to the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
.
In 1889
William Randolph Hearst
William Randolph Hearst (; April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American newspaper publisher and politician who developed the nation's largest newspaper chain and media company, Hearst Communications. His extravagant methods of yellow jou ...
engaged Chamberlain as editor of the ''
San Francisco Examiner
The ''San Francisco Examiner'' is a newspaper distributed in and around San Francisco, California, and has been published since 1863.
Once self-dubbed the "Monarch of the Dailies" by then-owner William Randolph Hearst and the flagship of the He ...
'', and he remained on the Pacific coast until 1895, when he came back to
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
as editor of the ''
New York Morning Journal''. In 1900 he became managing editor of the ''
Philadelphia North American'', which soon resumed its former place among the successful publications of that city.
In a year or two Chamberlain returned to the Hearst service, and until his death acted as general staff officer. He went to the ''
Chicago Examiner
The ''Chicago American'' was an American newspaper published in Chicago under various names from 1900 until its dissolution in 1975. Its afternoon publication was known as the ''Chicago American'', while its evening publication was known as the ...
'', was recalled to the New York ''American'' (1905–1907) followed by a year as editor of the ''
Cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan may refer to:
Internationalism
* World citizen, one who eschews traditional geopolitical divisions derived from national citizenship
* Cosmopolitanism, the idea that all of humanity belongs to a single moral community
* Cosmopolitan ...
'' (1907–1908). In 1909 he was appointed editor of the ''San Francisco Examiner'' for the second time. For several years, until the spring of 1915, he was the Hearst representative in London. His last work was editor of the ''
Boston American
The ''Boston American'' was a daily tabloid newspaper published in Boston, Massachusetts from March 21, 1904, until September 30, 1961. The newspaper was part of William Randolph Hearst's chain, and thus was also known as ''Hearst's Boston Ameri ...
''. He died in
San Francisco
San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
on January 25, 1916.
Character assessment
Chamberlain was recognized as an exceptionally able newspaper man; his forte was a news touch of charming delicacy; he had unerring news perception and understood and carried out feature ideas that were distinct.
Family
On September 15, 1873, Chamberlain married Mary T. Munson. At the time of his death Chamberlain was married and had one son.
See also
* "
A Wine of Wizardry
"A Wine of Wizardry" is a fantasy-horror poem by George Sterling written in 1903 and 1904. When the poem was first published in ''Cosmopolitan (magazine), Cosmopolitan'' magazine in 1907 with an afterword by Ambrose Bierce it stimulated a nationw ...
" - Poem by
George Sterling
George Sterling (December 1, 1869 – November 17, 1926) was an American writer based in the San Francisco, California Bay Area and Carmel-by-the-Sea. He was considered a prominent poet and playwright and proponent of Bohemianism during the fir ...
that Chamberlain made controversial.
Notes
References
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;Attribution
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Chamberlain, Samuel Selwyn
San Francisco Examiner people
1851 births
1916 deaths
Cosmopolitan (magazine) editors