Whitelaw Reid is
a famous journalist, politician, and diplomat of the late 19th and
early 20th centuries. Born on a farm near Xenia, Ohio, Whitelaw Reid
made his claim to fame as a Civil War correspondent. Before making his big
break as a journalist, Reid was editor of the Xenia News. In the small-town of Xenia, Reid had a reputation of
being “a bit snobbish.” He was also known for being a powerful writer believing
in the need for “the scholar in politics.”
After editing Xenia News, Reid worked his way up to
the Cincinnati Gazette. While working there, he covered the Civil War
under the penname “Agate,” which is the name for a printers’ type size. His
popular correspondence during the Civil War led Horace Greeley to bring Reid to
the New York Tribune as a part of the
editorial staff. At this time, Reid was serving as a Washington correspondent.
After Greeley died, Reid became editor and publisher of the New York Tribune. It was under Reid’s
control that the New York Tribune
became the most influential newspaper in the United States. By
1875, the Tribune’s circulation had
passed 50,000, which was a top figure for that era.
Along
with being the publisher of one of the most popular newspapers in the nation,
Whitelaw Reid played an important role in state and national Republican
politics. His political career began in 1872, when he oversaw Greeley running
for President. From 1889 to 1892, he served as the ambassador of France. He
even got his name on a presidential ballot in 1892, when he ran for Vice
President – and lost. After his attempt of having an office in the White House,
Reid served as U.S. ambassador to Great Britain under the William McKinely and
Theodore Roosevelt administrations, until his death in 1905.
Sources:
Ritchie, Donald A. American
Journalists: Getting the Story. New York: Oxford UP, 1997. Print.
"Whitelaw Reid (American
Journalist and Politician)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 02 Oct. 2013.
Lynch, Mary E. "Whitelaw
Reid." Whitelaw Reid. Dayton History Books, n.d. Web. 02 Oct. 2013.
No comments:
Post a Comment