Walter Williams (journalist)
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Walter Williams (July 2, 1864–July 29, 1935) was an American journalist and educator. He founded the world's first journalism school at the
University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Universit ...
, and later served as the university's president. An
internationalist Internationalist may refer to: * Internationalism (politics), a movement to increase cooperation across national borders * Liberal internationalism, a doctrine in international relations * Internationalist/Defencist Schism, socialists opposed to ...
, he promoted the ideals of journalism globally and is often referred to as "The Father of Journalism Education".


Biography

Williams was born in
Boonville, Missouri Boonville is a city and the county seat of Cooper County, Missouri, United States. The population was 7,964 at the 2020 census. The city was the site of a skirmish early in the Civil War, on July 17, 1861. Union forces defeated the Missouri Stat ...
in 1864. Both his parents died when he was just 14 years old, forcing Williams to quit school to help support his siblings. Though he quit attending school he was later graduated from Boonville High School in 1879. Williams got a job as an apprentice at the ''Boonville Topic'' making 75 cents a week. In 1884 the ''Topic'' merged with the ''Boonville Advertiser'', and despite being just 20 years old Williams was hired as editor. Two years later he became a part-owner in the newspaper, and was also elected President of the Missouri Press Association. In 1888 he worked doing press releases for the Missouri State Penitentiary. After the warden began censoring his releases he resigned and began editing the ''Columbia Herald'' in 1889 and began making contributions to Jefferson City, Kansas City and St. Louis newspapers. He married Hulda Harned in 1892. In 1895 he was named president of the National Editorial Association. Working with his employer
Edwin William Stephens Edwin William Stephens or E. W. Stephens (1849–1931) was an American publisher, journalist, and prominent leader in civic and religious affairs from Columbia, Missouri. He founded E.W. Stephens Publishing Company and published a daily news ...
through the Missouri Press Association, Williams helped to found the
State Historical Society of Missouri The State Historical Society of Missouri, a private membership and state funded organization, is a comprehensive research facility located in Columbia, Missouri, specializing in the preservation and study of Missouri's cultural heritage. Establ ...
in 1898. In the late 1890s Walter Williams began lobbying the Missouri General Assembly and the Board of Curators of the
University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Universit ...
to establish a school of journalism. Many newspaper editors and owners objected saying that reporters should follow the traditional apprentice route for training. However the General Assembly and the Curators eventually approved the addition of the College of Journalism in 1905 with Williams as
dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...
. After some delay, the School of Journalism was finally established in 1908 with ninety-seven students served by three faculty members. In 1902, Williams traveled to 27 nations on four continents to publicize the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair to the international press. As dean of the School of Journalism he continued to travel the globe, serving as a relentless publicist for both the school and the profession of journalism. In 1915, he was elected president of the Press Congress of the World; and led its first formal sessions in
Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island o ...
in 1921. That same year, he lectured in
Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
and
Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...
, and established a department of journalism at China's
Yenching University Yenching University (), was a university in Beijing, China, that was formed out of the merger of four Christian colleges between the years 1915 and 1920. The term "Yenching" comes from an alternative name for old Beijing, derived from its status ...
in 1928. One of his earliest actions as Dean was creating the ''University Missourian'' (now the ''
Columbia Missourian The ''Columbia Missourian'' is a digital-first newspaper based in Columbia, Missouri, published online seven days a week and in print five days a week. The newspaper is affiliated with the Missouri School of Journalism, and is owned as a 501c3 no ...
'') newspaper so that his students would gain practical hands-on experience running a newspaper while also receiving their education. It wasn't long before other colleges and universities across the United States began to emulate the University of Missouri program. However Williams became increasingly concerned they would not adhere to the same high journalistic standards and professionalism being taught at "Mizzou". So, in 1914 he created the
Journalist's Creed The Journalist's Creed is a personal and professional affirmation and code of journalism ethics written by Walter Williams in 1914. The creed has been published in more than 100 languages, and a bronze plaque of The Journalist's Creed hangs at the ...
, a statement of professional guidelines often evoked as the definitive
code of ethics Ethical codes are adopted by organizations to assist members in understanding the difference between right and wrong and in applying that understanding to their decisions. An ethical code generally implies documents at three levels: codes of bus ...
for journalists. It is posted in bronze at the
National Press Club Organizations A press club is an organization for journalists and others professionally engaged in the production and dissemination of news. A press club whose membership is defined by the press of a given country may be known as a National Press ...
in
Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...
. In 1930, he established the Missouri Honor Medal for Distinguished Service in Journalism. Also in 1930 he wrote ''Missouri, Mother of the West'' with Floyd Calvin Shoemaker.Assisted by an Advisory Council, Missouri Biography by a Special Staff of Writers. Issued in Five Volumes and ILLUSTRATED by THE AMERICAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY, INC. CHICAGO and NEW YORK, 1930. He served as a member of the
Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...
Board for 1931–32. A member of the University of Missouri Board of Curators, Williams became president of the university in 1931. He took over the leadership when Mizzou, like many other American institutions of higher learning, was struggling with funding issues due to the Great Depression. So that his faculty might receive much needed raises, Williams cut his own salary. His health began to fail as his presidency wore on, and he died while still holding the position in July, 1935, of pneumonia after a diagnosis of prostate cancer. He was buried in Columbia Cemetery.


Honors

Walter Williams never attended college, although honorary degrees were conferred upon him by
Missouri Valley College Missouri Valley College is a private college that is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and located in Marshall, Missouri. The college was founded in 1889 and supports 40 academic majors and an enrollment close to 1,500 students. Mis ...
in 1900;
Kansas State University Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...
in 1909 and
Washington University Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...
in 1926. Before his death, he was initiated as an honorary brother of the
Acacia ''Acacia'', commonly known as the wattles or acacias, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa and Australasia. The genus na ...
fraternity.


Legacy

A new journalism building on the Columbia, Missouri campus was named for him in 1936. A World War II
Liberty ship Liberty ships were a class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Though British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost construction. Mass ...
, SS ''Walter Williams'' (hull MC No. 2291), launched in 1943 was named in his honor. Williams has a group of scholars named after him at the University of Missouri, who are journalism students directly admitted to the journalism program who have received a 33 or above on their ACT (or 1450 on the SAT) in high school. The Walter Williams Club is the name of the alumni association of University of Missouri Journalism School graduates.


Notes


References

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External links


University of Missouri biography
at the Division of Special Collections, Archives, and Rare Books,
Ellis Library Constructed in 1915, Elmer Ellis Library is the main library of the University of Missouri on the campus of the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri. It was named in 1972 for former university president Elmer Ellis. With holdings of over ...
,
University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Universit ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Walter 1864 births 1935 deaths American male journalists Journalists from Missouri Educators from Columbia, Missouri Writers from Missouri Leaders of the University of Missouri University of Missouri faculty Burials at Columbia Cemetery (Columbia, Missouri) Deaths from pneumonia in Missouri Deaths from cancer in Missouri Deaths from prostate cancer