Frank Conniff ( ;(27 May 1971)

''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' April 24, 1914 – May 25, 1971) was an American journalist and editor who won a

Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting This Pulitzer Prize has been awarded since 1942 for a distinguished example of reporting on international affairs, including United Nations correspondence. In its first six years (1942–1947), it was called the Pulitzer Prize for Telegraphic R ...

in 1956.''1972 Britannica Book of the Year'', 1972 (the book covers events of 1971), "Obituaries" article, page 521 Conniff was born in

Danbury Danbury is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located approximately northeast of New York City. Danbury's population as of 2022 was 87,642. It is the seventh largest city in Connecticut. Danbury is nicknamed the "Hat City ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

. His first newspaper job was as a copyboy with the ''

Danbury News-Times ''The News-Times'' is a daily newspaper based in Danbury, Connecticut, United States. It is owned and operated by the Hearst Corporation. The paper covers Danbury, a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, Fairfield County in southwestern Conne ...

''. He went to college at the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

, and after covering sports for one year in Danbury, joined

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in New York. He was also a combat reporter during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

in Africa and Europe, and covered the Korean War in 1950–51. In 1958 he became general director of the Hearst Headline Service, which provided news features, and contributed a Washington column. In New York he later wrote the "Coniff's Corner" column. While Hearst would introduce Conniff as their "house Democrat," Conniff also reportedly supported

Joseph McCarthy Joseph Raymond McCarthy (November 14, 1908 – May 2, 1957) was an American politician who served as a Republican U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957. Beginning in 1950, McCarthy became the most visi ...

, as Hearst Newspapers were a McCarthy supporter. He unsuccessfully challenged Republican Congressman

Ogden Reid Ogden Rogers Reid (June 24, 1925 – March 2, 2019) was an American politician and diplomat. He was the U.S. Ambassador to Israel and a six-term United States Representative from Westchester County, New York. Early life Reid was born in New Y ...

New York's 26th congressional district The 26th congressional district of New York is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in Western New York. It includes parts of Erie and Niagara counties. The district includes the cities of Buffalo, Lackawan ...

in the 1964 election.(11 March 1964)
Hearst Executive Chosen to Oppose Reid for House
''

''Folsom, Merrill (13 October 1964)
Reid and Conniff Irk Mitchell by Liberal Views in 26th
''

'' Conniff interviewed

Nikita S. Khrushchev Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (– 11 September 1971) was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and Premier of the Soviet Union, chairm ...

, premier of the

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, in

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in 1955 for Hearst's

International News Service The International News Service (INS) was a U.S.-based news agency (newswire) founded by newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst in 1909.

, earning him a

1956 Pulitzer Prize The following are the Pulitzer Prizes for 1956. Journalism awards *Public Service: ** ''Watsonville Register-Pajaronian'' for courageous exposure of corruption in public office, which led to the resignation of a district attorney and the convict ...

, which he shared with

William Randolph Hearst, Jr. William Randolph Hearst Jr. (January 27, 1908 – May 14, 1993) was an American businessman and newspaper publisher. He was the second son of the publisher William Randolph Hearst. He became editor-in-chief of Hearst Newspapers after the death of ...

and Joseph Kingsbury Smith for a series of exclusive interviews with leaders of the Soviet Union. (In 1959 Smith became publisher of the ''

New York Journal-American :''Includes coverage of New York Journal-American and its predecessors New York Journal, The Journal, New York American and New York Evening Journal'' The ''New York Journal-American'' was a daily newspaper published in New York City from 1937 t ...

''.) New York Times obituary of Joseph Kingsbury Smith published on February 5, 1999
/ref> Conniff was editor of

's ''

World Journal Tribune The ''New York World Journal Tribune'' (''WJT'', and hence the nickname ''The Widget'') was an evening daily newspaper published in New York City from September 1966 until May 1967. The ''World Journal Tribune'' represented an attempt to save th ...

'' of

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from 1966 to 1967, when the newspaper ceased publication. He was also national editor of Hearst Newspapers.(9 April 1957)
Hearst Promotes 3: Conniff Made National Editor of Newspaper Group
''

'' He had a stroke shortly after the close of the ''World Journal Tribune'' from which he partly recovered. He was a regular panelist on the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

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, ''

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'', along with

H. V. Kaltenborn Hans von Kaltenborn (July 9, 1878June 14, 1965), generally known as H. V. Kaltenborn, was an American radio commentator. He was heard regularly on the radio for over 30 years, beginning with CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened ...

Peggy Ann Garner Peggy Ann Garner (February 3, 1932 – October 16, 1984) was an American child actress. As a child actress, Garner had her first film role in 1938. At the 18th Academy Awards, Garner won the Academy Juvenile Award, recognizing her body of c ...

Deems Taylor Joseph Deems Taylor (December 22, 1885 – July 3, 1966) was an American music critic, composer, and promoter of classical music. Nat Benchley, co-editor of ''The Lost Algonquin Roundtable'', referred to him as "the dean of American music." Ear ...

, and

Boris Karloff William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), better known by his stage name Boris Karloff (), was an English actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film ''Frankenstein'' (1931) (his 82nd film) established h ...

. Conniff died of a heart attack at age 57 in New York on May 25, 1971. His son Frank Jr. is a comedic actor and writer.

References

1914 births 1971 deaths 20th-century American journalists 20th-century American writers American male journalists American newspaper journalists American war correspondents of World War II People from Danbury, Connecticut Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting winners University of Virginia alumni War correspondents of the Korean War {{US-journalist-1910s-stub