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Stephen Tyree Early (August 27, 1889 – August 11, 1951) was a U.S. journalist and government official. He served as the third White House press secretary under Franklin D. Roosevelt from 1933 to 1945 and as the acting press secretary under President Harry S. Truman in 1950 after the sudden death of
Charles Griffith Ross Charles Griffith Ross (November 9, 1885 – December 5, 1950) was White House Press Secretary between 1945 and 1950 for President Harry S. Truman. Early life Ross graduated with Truman and Truman's eventual wife Bess Truman in Independence, ...
. Early served as press secretary longer than any other person.


Career

Early met Franklin D. Roosevelt while covering the
1912 Democratic National Convention The 1912 Democratic National Convention was held at the Fifth Regiment Armory off North Howard Street in Baltimore from June 25 to July 2, 1912. The Convention The convention was held at the Fifth Regiment Armory in Baltimore from June 25 t ...
as a reporter for the
United Press United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20t ...
. From 1913 to 1917 Early was the
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. new ...
correspondent covering the Navy Department, during which time his acquaintance with Roosevelt and
Louis Howe Louis McHenry Howe (January 14, 1871 – April 18, 1936) was an American reporter for the ''New York Herald'' best known for acting as an early political advisor to President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Born to a wealthy family in Indianapolis, ...
grew. After serving in
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
with an infantry regiment and the '' Stars and Stripes'' he returned to the United States and was asked by Roosevelt to be the advance man for the 1920 Vice Presidential campaign. After the election, Early returned to the Associated Press. In August 1923 Early covered the western trip of President
Warren Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party, he was one of the most popular sitting U.S. presidents. A ...
in San Francisco and was the first newspaper man to report there that Harding had suddenly died. In 1927 he became the Washington representative of
Paramount News Paramount News is the name on the newsreels produced by Paramount Pictures from 1927 to 1957. History The Paramount newsreel operation began in 1927 with Emanuel Cohen as an editor. It typically distributed two issues per week to theaters across ...
, a newsreel company at the time.


Roosevelt administration

After the election of 1932, Franklin Roosevelt asked him to serve as one of the three White House Secretaries, responsible for press relations. Early held that post throughout the Roosevelt years. As press secretary, he served as spokesman and troubleshooter for the president and maintained an open-door policy with White House correspondents. Having been a reporter, he understood the news business and did his best to accommodate it. Early also helped persuade the
White House Correspondents Association The White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) is an organization of journalists who cover the White House and the president of the United States. The WHCA was founded on February 25, 1914, by journalists in response to an unfounded rumor t ...
to issue press credentials to Harry McAlpin of the National Negro Publishers Association. In 1944, McAlpin became the first African American reporter to attend presidential press conferences.


Commercial and Defense appointments

In 1945, he became vice president of the
Pullman Company The Pullman Company, founded by George Pullman, was a manufacturer of railroad cars in the mid-to-late 19th century through the first half of the 20th century, during the boom of railroads in the United States. Through rapid late-19th century ...
He returned to the government as under secretary and later
United States deputy secretary of defense The deputy secretary of defense (acronym: DepSecDef) is a statutory office () and the second-highest-ranking official in the Department of Defense of the United States of America. The deputy secretary is the principal civilian deputy to the sec ...
from April 1949 to June 1950.


Truman administration

In December 1950, Early was briefly
press secretary A press secretary or press officer is a senior advisor who provides advice on how to deal with the news media and, using news management techniques, helps their employer to maintain a positive public image and avoid negative media coverage. Dut ...
to President Truman, filling in after the sudden death of Charles G. Ross.


Personal life

Early died at George Washington Hospital on August 11, 1951. He had suffered a heart attack a week prior, and despite signs of recovery, had a turn for the worse. It was reported that he died at about one in the afternoon. Survivors included Helen Wrenn Early, whom he married in 1921, two sons and a daughter. Harry Truman issued a statement calling him "an outstanding newspaper man" and "always on the side of President Roosevelt." Defense Secretary
George Marshall George Catlett Marshall Jr. (December 31, 1880 – October 16, 1959) was an American army officer and statesman. He rose through the United States Army to become Chief of Staff of the United States Army, Chief of Staff of the US Army under Pre ...
said in a statement that he was "very distressed" at the news of Early's death and that he "served his country faithfully for many years." The full statements and other information on his life can be found in his New York Times obituary, printed on August 12, 1951. In 1969, his widow donated his papers to the
Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum holds the records of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd president of the United States (1933–1945). Located on the grounds of Springwood, the Roosevelt family estate in Hyde Park, New ...
, where they could be accessed by the public.


References


Further reading

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External links


Stephen T. Early Papers
* , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Early, Stephen 1889 births 1951 deaths American male journalists American military personnel of World War I United States Deputy Secretaries of Defense Virginia Democrats White House Press Secretaries People from Albemarle County, Virginia