The reporters and editors at the city desk that morning had taken part in a last-ditch effort to persuade the brothers to sell the paper to the staff. Instead, the three sons surrendered the World and Evening World to Scripps-Howard for $5 million after obtaining a judge’s consent to break their father’s enjoinment that the paper never be sold. The resulting New York World-Telegram carried only the name of the paper. Joseph Pulitzer’s World was gone.
The city editor James Barrett had just put the final edition carrying the announcement of the sale to bed. “Everyone found a paper cup, or two,” said one of the reporters. “And the bottles weren’t filled with water, because what they were filled with took the wax off the cups and curdled.” Suddenly, Barrett slapped the desk and burst into song. To the tune of the “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” the men belted out, “J.P.’s body lies a-mouldering in the grave, but the staff goes marching on.” At three in the morning, they decided to move their wake to Daly’s, a speakeasy popular with newspapermen. They left the Pulitzer Building, went into the chilly night, and marched down Park Row singing.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The idea for this book belongs to my editor Tim Duggan. At first, I was unconvinced there was a need for a new biography of Joseph Pulitzer. The last serious one had been written in 1967 by W. A. Swanberg, whose books first got me interested in biography. However, after some modest research, I found that Swanberg had missed a great deal and that a new look at Pulitzer was long overdue. So, I remain thankful to Duggan for his clairvoyance and to the literary agent Mark Reiter, then with PFD New York, who negotiated the contract and supported the project from the start.
At HarperCollins, I also owe thanks to assistant editor Allison Lorentzen and copyeditor Susan Gamer for shepherding the manuscript to publication.
Like most authors, I live in fear of not properly thanking the many who made this book possible. But, here to the best of my ability, is my supporting cast.
The description of the Pulitzer family genealogy and of their life in Makó would not be so complete were it not for the work of historian András Csillag, a professor of American Civilization at Szeged University, Szeged, Hungary. Since the 1980s, he has doggedly pursued research into the family’s history. The tour he provided me of Makó, Pulitzer’s birthplace, was of enormous help. I was also assisted in Makó by Laszlo Molnar, Adrienn Nagy, and Marton Eacsedi, caretaker of the Jewish Cemeteries. In Budapest, Gyorgyi Haraszti, of the Institute of History of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Victor Karady, in the Jewish Studies Department of Central European University, and Mátyás Gödölle, of the Hungarian National Museum answered my many questions about Pest when Pulitzer lived there as a child. Istvan Deak, at Columbia University, also provided helpful guidance.
The bulk of Pulitzer’s papers and those of the World are kept at the Rare Book and Manuscript Library of Columbia University. Director Michael Ryan, Jennifer B. Lee, Tara C. Craig, Kevin O’Connor, and the entire staff provided exceptional assistance. The second largest holding of Pulitzer papers is the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress, where Jeffrey M. Flannery was a constant help. At the Missouri Historical Society, Jason D. Stratman not only assisted me during my many visits but responded for years to my e-mail queries.
Eric P. Newman, founder of the Eric P. Newman Numismatic Education Society in St. Louis, graciously made me a copy of a loan from Preetorius to Pulitzer to buy shares of the Westliche Post. Pat and Leslie Fogarty, who discovered a cache of previously unknown Pulitzer documents, kindly let me examine them for the preparation of this book. Journalist Eric Fettmann shared with me a letter from Nannie Tunstall to Pulitzer. It played a pivotal role in being able to properly date the romantic relationship between the two. The late Muriel Pulitzer, a remarkable artist, permitted me to use her grandfather’s memoirs. Her nephew Nicholas W. Wood, of Arlington, Texas, made it possible for me to meet Muriel. I also owe a great deal of thanks to Emily Rauh Pulitzer and James V. Maloney, Chief Financial Officer of the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts, for their assistance and interest in the project.
Roman scholar Susanna Braund helped me try to track down an important allusion made by David Graham Phillips. Alexandra Villard de Borchgrave permitted me to use her files relating to Henry Villard. Dr. Edward Okum, who had treated Joseph Pulitzer’s grandson for eye troubles, sorted out important questions regarding Pulitzer’s blindness. Dr. Edwin Carter once again provided me with important psychological insights into my subject. Eric Homberger, author of Mrs. Astor’s New York: Money and Social Power in a Gilded Age, gave me important advice on dealing with the anti-Semitism that confronted Pulitzer in New York City.
Jason Baker did yeoman’s work in translating German documents for me. I am also grateful for his insights about Pulitzer’s work at the Westliche Post. Baker was assisted by Rick Strudell, who managed to decipher nineteenth-century German penmanship. Cornelia Brooke Gilder helped me with research in the Berkshires. Jude Webre completed important fact-checking in the Columbia University holdings of Pulitzer papers. Elizabeth Elliott chased down elusive information on Tunstall in Lynchburg, Virginia. Charles Litchfield and Nancy Ross, two high school students, served as editorial interns in 2004 and 2005.
Tripp Jones, archivist, the Church of the Epiphany, went out of his way to provide me with insights into both the role of his church at Joseph and Kate’s wedding as well as that of Joseph’s relationship with the Episcopal Church as a whole. David G. Hardin and Keitha Leonard, both attorneys, assisted me in interpreting estate and business matters. The law firm of Ropes & Gray represented me pro bono in my Freedom of Information dispute with the Department of Justice, and Stephen M. Underhill, a graduate student from the University of Maryland working at the National Archives, helped locate the 1909–1910 Pulitzer prosecution records.
A large cast of people in libraries, archives, and universities from Budapest to St. Louis went out of their way to assist me. Specific individuals include: Jill Abraham, at the National Archives, who helped locate military records on Pulitzer, whose name was spelled several different ways, making it hard to locate some of the items; Wanda Adams, Leavenworth Public Library; Marisa Bourgoin of the Corcoran Art Gallery; Christine M. Beauregard, New York State Library; Joseph Fred Benson, Supreme Court of Missouri; Stephen Bolhafner, St. Louis Post-Dispatch; Frederick W. Brunello, New York Times Corporate Records; Michael DeArmey, University of Southern Mississippi; Jill Gage, Newberry Library; Judy Garrett, Berkshire Historical Society; James Good, Lone Star College–North Harris; Suzanne Hahn, Indiana Historical Society; Linda Hartman, Santa Fe Public Library; Mike Klein, Library of Congress; Shaun J. Kirkpatrick, United States Army War College and Carlisle Barracks; William Massa, Sterling Library, Yale University; Shirley McGrath, Greene County Historical Society; Katie McMahon, Newberry Library; Barbara Miksicek, St. Louis Police Library; Janie Morris, Duke University Library; James P. Niessen, Alexander Library, Rutgers University; Jenny Olmsted, Jekyll Island Museum; Janet Parks, Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library, Columbia University; Donald Ritchie, U.S. Senate Historical Office; Nicholas B. Scheetz, Georgetown University Library; Wendy Schnur, G. W. Blunt Library of the Mystic Seaport Museum; Christina Shedlock, Charleston County Public Library; David A. Smith, New York Public Library; James M. Smith, Rare Books and Manuscript Library, Ohio State University; William T. Stolz, Senior Manuscript Specialist, Western Historical Manuscript Collection, Columbia; Allen E. Wagner, University of Missouri–St. Louis; Andrew Walker, St. Louis Art Museum; Travis Westly, Library of Congress; Clive Wilmer, Cambridge University, England; Kenneth H. Winn, Missouri State Archives.
I also want to acknowledge the permitted use of materials from the Rare Book and Manuscript Library of Columbia University; Columbia University Oral History Research Office Collection; Midwest Manuscript Collection at the Newberry Library; Special Collections, Georgetown University Library; Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University; and other institutions in the United States, Great Britain, an
d Hungary.
David O. Stewart, author of Impeached, was my constant literary companion during this project. He read every word I wrote and his comments greatly improved the manuscript. Editor Veronika Hass diligently reviewed my final drafts, frequently saving me from mortifying errors. David Garrow, author of Bearing the Cross, read large sections of the manuscript and provided valuable guidance. Others who read portions of the work include author Kenneth Ackerman; Zohar Kadman Sella, a student at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism; Howard N. Lupovitch, of Colby College; Robert Priddy, broadcaster and independent historian in Missouri; and Richard Zacks, author of a forthcoming book on Theodore Roosevelt as police commissioner.
Friends Jim Percoco and Dean Sagar helped me sort out Pulitzer’s role in the Civil War and worked to help me overcome my prejudices about the war. Friend and author Linda Lear gave me the idea for the subtitle to this book.
A research fellowship provided by Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History greatly defrayed my travel costs to New York City. A grant from the Richard S. Brownlee Fund of the Missouri State Historical Society helped fund my travels to Missouri. Its executive director Gary Kremer also provided useful guidance on Jefferson City in the 1870s. I am especially honored by support I received from the T/EL&DS, especially from its 2008 director J. Revell Carr, who was busy supervising the construction of the society’s new headquarters.
Last, members of my family in New York—Christopher and Elissa Morris and Helen and Martin Scorsese—gave me lodging and meals during my many research trips. My children, Stephanie, Benjamin, and Alexander, probably wondered if their father would ever finish this project and my wife, Patty, put up with long absences while I conducted my research and with long absences when I was home but locked away in my office.
Notes
To conserve space, the endnotes contain abbreviations for frequently cited sources and a more numeric dating system.
ARCHIVAL COLLECTIONS OR REPOSITORIES
ABF Brisbane Family. Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University
ABF–2001 2001 Addition to Brisbane Family, Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University
AB-LC Arthur Brisbane File, Lake County Historical Society, OH
AJHS American Jewish Historical Society, New York, NY
BLMC British Library Manuscript Collection, London
CAG Corcoran Art Galley, Washington, DC
CDP Chauncey Depew Papers, Sterling Library, Yale University
CJB Charles Joseph Bonaparte Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress
CS Carl Schurz Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress
DCS-NYPL Don Carlos Seitz Papers, New York Public Library
EBW E. B. Washburne Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress
EFJC Eric Fettmann Journalism Collection (privately held)
EHP Earl Harding Papers, Special Collection, Georgetown University Library
HR Hermann Raster Papers, Newberry Library, Chicago, IL
HSP Henry Stimson, Manuscript and Archive, Sterling Library, Yale University
HW Henry Watterson, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress
JA Julian Allen Scrapbook, #13-z, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
JB James Broadhead Papers, Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis
JBE J. B. Eads Papers, Missouri Historical Society
JC James Creelman, Rare Books and Manuscript Library, Ohio State University
JJJ John Joseph Jennings Collection, Beinecke Library, Yale University
JNP-MHS John W. Norton Papers, Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis
JP-CU Joseph Pulitzer, Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University
JP-LC Joseph Pulitzer, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress
JPII-LC Joseph Pulitzer Jr. (1885–1955), Manuscript Division, Library of Congress
JP-MHS Joseph Pulitzer Collection, Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis
JP-NYSL Joseph Pulitzer, correspondence, New York State Library, Albany
LB Louis Benecke Family Papers, 1816–1989, Western Historical Manuscript Collection, Columbia, MO
LS Louis Starr Papers, Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University
MHS Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis
MSA Missouri State Archives, Jefferson City, MO
MMW McKim, Mead, and White Collection, New-York Historical Society
NARA National Archives, Washington, DC
NARA-MD Department of Justice, Record Group 60, file #10963–02, National Archives, College Park, MD
NARA-NY US v. Press Publishing Files, National Archives, New York City
NT-DU Nannie Tunstall Papers, Duke University Library
N-YHS New-York Historical Society
NYTA New York Times Corporate Archives
PDA Archival material on file in the library of the Post-Dispatch, St. Louis, MO. The paper held files of miscellaneous letters, articles, and photographs all mixed in with personal affairs of Joseph Pulitzer II and Joseph Pulitzer III.
PLFC Pat and Leslie Fogarty Collection (privately held)
SB Samuel Bowles Papers, Manuscript and Archive, Sterling Library, Yale University
SSMHS Sylvester Scovel Papers, Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis
SLPA Microfilms made by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch containing miscellaneous Pulitzer correspondence. One copy is owned by the paper; the other is on file at the St. Louis Public Library.
SLPDL St. Louis Police Department Library, St. Louis
StLi American Committee of the Statue of Liberty, New York Public Library
TD Thomas Davidson. Manuscript and Archive, Yale University
TRP Theodore Roosevelt Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress
UB Udo Brachvogel Papers, New York Public Library
WCP-DU William W. Corcoran Papers, Special Collection Library, Duke University
WHMC Western Historical Manuscript Collection, Columbia, MO
WHS-IHS William H. Smith Papers, Indiana Historical Society
WG-CU William Grosvenor. Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University
WP-CU World Papers, Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University
WR-LC Whitelaw Reid Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress
WSP William Speer Papers, Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University
PERSONAL NAMES
AB Alfred Butes
ABi Arthur Billings
BM Bradford Merrill
DC Dumont Clarke
DCS Don Carlos Seitz
DGP David Graham Phillips
FC Frank Cobb
FDW Florence D. White
GHL George H. Ledlie
GWH George W. Hosmer
HS Henry Stimson
JAS J. Angus Shaw
JN John Norris
JP Joseph Pulitzer
JPII Joseph Pulitzer Jr.
JWC James W. Clarke
KP Kate Pulitzer
MAM Maud Alice Macarow
NT Norman Thwaites
PB Pomeroy Burton
RHL Robert H. Lyman
RP Ralph Pulitzer
TR Theodore Roosevelt
WHM William H. Merrill
FREQUENTLY CITED BOOKS OR MANUSCRIPTS
AI Alleyne Ireland. Joseph Pulitzer: Reminiscence of a Secretary. New York: Mitchell Kennerley, 1914.
APM Albert Pulitzer. “Memoirs.” Unpublished memoir written by Albert Pulitzer in 1909 and edited and annotated by his son Walter Pulitzer between 1909 and probably 1913. In author’s possession. On deposit in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University.
DCS-JP Don C. Seitz. Joseph Pulitzer: His Life and Letters. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1924.
GJ George Juergens. Joseph Pulitzer and the New York World. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1966.
JLH John L. Heaton. The Story of a Pag
e: Thirty Years of Public Service and Public Discussion in the Editorial Columns of the New York World. New York: Harper, 1913.
JSR Julian S. Rammelkamp. Pulitzer’s Post-Dispatch, 1878–1883. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1967.
JWB James Wyman Barrett. Joseph Pulitzer and His World. New York: Vanguard, 1941.
WRR William Robinson Reynolds. “Joseph Pulitzer.” PhD diss., Columbia University, 1950.
WAS W. A. Swanberg, Pulitzer. New York: Scribner, 1967.
NEWSPAPERS
Readers may note the appearance of smaller newspapers in some of the endnotes. This is because they made extensive use of wire copy and often contained valued reports about New York journalism and politics.
AtCo Atlanta Constitution
BoGl Boston Globe
BrEa Brooklyn Eagle
ChTr Chicago Tribune
DeFr Detroit Free Press
EvPo St. Louis Evening Post
GlDe St. Louis Globe-Democrat (including issues when it was the St. Louis Globe)
LAT Los Angeles Times
MoDe Missouri Democrat
MoRe Missouri Republican
NYA New York American
NYH New York Herald
NYEJ New York Evening Journal
NYEW New York Evening World
NYMJ New York Morning Journal (later succeeded by the New York American)
NYS New York Sun
NYT New York Times
NYTr New York Tribune
NYW New York World
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