John Merry le Sage (23 April 1837 – 1 January 1926), was a British journalist and newspaper editor.

Biography

Born in

Clifton, Bristol Clifton is both a suburb of Bristol, England, and the name of one of the city's thirty-five council wards. The Clifton ward also includes the areas of Cliftonwood and Hotwells. The eastern part of the suburb lies within the ward of Clifton Do ...

, Le Sage was the son of John Sage and his wife Elizabeth, ''née'' Godfrey; Le Sage would adopt the "Le" for his last name during middle age. He began his career in journalism when he was employed as a reporter for ''The Torquay Directory and South Devon Journal'', later working for the ''

Western Morning News The ''Western Morning News'' is a daily regional newspaper founded in 1860, and covering the West Country including Devon, Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly and parts of Somerset and Dorset in the South West of England. Organisation The ''Western Mo ...

''. In 1863, he obtained a position with ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

'' in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, beginning an association with the paper that would last for sixty years.J. B. Firth, ''rev''. Joseph Coohill, "Le Sage, Sir John Merry (1837-1926)", in ''The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', H.C.G. Matthew and Brian Harrison, eds. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004), vol. 33, p. 414. Le Sage worked primarily as a foreign correspondent. Though not regarded as a great writer, he was best known for providing the first reports of the German troops marching into Paris during the Franco-Prussian War in 1871. He was also present during the period of the

Paris Commune The Paris Commune (french: Commune de Paris, ) was a revolutionary government that seized power in Paris, the capital of France, from 18 March to 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard had defended ...

, as well as the coronation of

Tsar Alexander III Alexander III ( rus, Алекса́ндр III Алекса́ндрович, r=Aleksandr III Aleksandrovich; 10 March 18451 November 1894) was Emperor of Russia, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Finland from 13 March 1881 until his death in 18 ...

. He enjoyed a good relationship with first

Joseph Moses Levy Joseph Moses Levy (15 December 1812 – 12 October 1888) was a British newspaper editor and publisher. Biography Levy was born in London on 15 December 1812 to Moses Levy and Helena Moses. He was educated at Bruce Castle School, after which he ...

and then his son

Edward Levy-Lawson Edward Levy-Lawson, 1st Baron Burnham, (28 December 1833 – 9 January 1916), known as Sir Edward Levy-Lawson, 1st Baronet, from 1892 to 1903, was an English newspaper proprietor. He was the owner and publisher of ''The Daily Telegraph''. Bi ...

, successive owners of the ''Daily Telegraph''. When the senior Levy died, Le Sage was named as editor, though Levy-Lawson exercised firm control over the newspaper until he became Baron Burnham in 1903. As editor, Le Sage continued the traditions laid out by his predecessors, focusing on the middle class reader and ignoring criticism of his practices. Though Le Sage proved a successful editor, by the early 20th century he was having difficulties keeping up with changes in the journalistic profession. Hampered by his age and an unwillingness to delegate responsibility, he nonetheless continued on as editor and was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

in 1918 in recognition for his services to journalism. Le Sage retired from his post in June 1923 and died on New Year's Day, 1926, at his home in

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...

.J. B. Firth, ''rev''. Joseph Coohill, "Le Sage, Sir John Merry (1837-1926)", in ''The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', H.C.G. Matthew and Brian Harrison, eds. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004), vol. 33, pgs. 414-415.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Le Sage, John Merry British male journalists British newspaper editors 1837 births 1926 deaths