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## April 2018

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### U.S. Census Bureau History: William Randolph Hearst

            Newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst was born April 29, 1863.Hearst developed his media empire into the nation's largestnewspaper chain and he continues to influence American journalismtoday—more than 6 decades since his death.Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Legendary newspaper publisher and politician William Randolph Hearst was born on April 29, 1863.  With the help of his wealthy father George Hearst, William Randolph Hearst created one of the largest newspaper and media companies in the world.

Hearst's career as a media mogul began 2 years after his expulsion from Harvard University.  George Hearst gave William control of the *San Francisco Examiner*, which the elder Hearst had received years earlier as payment for a gambling debt.  The *Examiner*—the self-proclaimed "Monarch of the Dailies"—quickly dominated the market after Hearst acquired equipment and hired nationally known writers and cartoonists (including  Mark Twain and Jack London).  The paper became widely known for its no-holds-barred journalism exposing corruption and scandal leaving readers anxious for the publication of each new edition.

Understanding that any successful media empire required a presence in New York City, Hearst purchased the failing *New York Morning Journal* in 1895.  He hired nationally-known writers Stephen Crane and Julian Hawthorne (son of novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne) to boost subscribers.  He openly feuded with Joseph Pulitzer of the *New York World* and hired members of Pulitzer's writing and cartoon staff for his own paper.  The two media moguls fought for subscribers with advertising and promotions, eye-catching headlines, and sensational, often sex-tinged stories that many other papers refused to print.  It was not until both papers lost huge sums of money covering the Spanish-American War that the two publishers agreed to a truce.

By 1915, Hearst media had grown to include newspapers in Chicago, IL, Los Angeles, CA, and Boston, MA, as well as an animation studio and a news wire service.  At its peak in the late 1920s, Hearst's news empire published dozens of newspapers and periodicals like *Good Housekeeping* and *Cosmopolitan*, and owned radio stations, syndication rights to nationally-known comics and news columns, and an animation studio (International Film Services) established to develop features based on the Hearst newspapers' comic strips.

In addition to heading a media empire, William Randolph Hearst served two terms in Congress (1903–1907) representing New York's 11th Congressional District.  He had a keen interest in aviation, sponsoring aviators, flight prizes, and an around-the-world zeppelin flight; and part of his collection of fine and decorative arts are displayed at Hearst Castle, in San Simeon, CA—the publisher's residence until retiring to a home in Beverly Hills, CA that was closer to medical attention.

William Randolph Hearst died in Beverly Hills, CA, on August 14, 1951, following a series of illnesses.  Upon hearing of Hearst death, Hugh Baillie, president of the United Press Association wrote in the *Los Angeles Times* that, "One of the great figures of journalism has gone from among us.  But the newspaper empire he created lives as a memorial to his genius.  [He] originated many of the forms of daily publishing which now are familiar to all. His life and career are a conspicuous part of the history of our times."
You can learn more about William Randolph Hearst and the nation's newspaper industry using census data and records.  For example:
- The Census Bureau collected its first data on the nation's  254 daily newspapers  in  1850  as part of the census of manufactures.  Three years after William Randolph Hearst took over management of the  San Francisco Examiner , the  1890 Census  reported there were  1,610 daily newspapers  published in the United States.  Hearst purchased the  New York Morning Journal  in 1895, and in that decade, the number of daily newspapers rose from  1,610  in 1890 to  2,226  in 1900.  The number of daily newspapers peaked in 1909 at 2,600.  When Hearst died in 1951, there were  2,018  newspapers published daily and  10,514  weekly newspapers in print.
- William Randolph Hearst's fought a bitter publishing rivalry with  Joseph Pulitzer  and his  New York World  newspaper.  Pulitzer bequeathed money to Columbia University to establish the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.  The university awarded the first  Pulitzer Prizes    in journalism in 1917.  In later years, the university added awards, including Pulitzer Prizes for literature, poetry, history, music, and drama.  Notable recipients of the Pulitzer Prize include:  Robert Frost  (Poetry),  William Faulkner  (fiction),  John Updike  (fiction),  Tennessee Williams  (drama), and  Aaron Copland  (music).
- In 1890, William Randolph Hearst and his  San Francisco Examiner  sponsored  "The Examiner's Census Competition."   Anyone who purchased a 1-year subscription to the newspaper between April 1 and June 30, and accurately guessed the population for one of 19 West Coast cities and the United States at the time of the  1890 Census  could win a prize.  Prizes valued at more than $75,000 included livestock, farming and mining equipment, land, a race horse, and a house in  San Francisco, CA . William Randolph Hearst was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives twice (D-NY, 1903–1907).  In 1904, he was unsuccessful in his campaign to win the Democratic nomination for president when convention delegates instead chose Alton B. Parker.  (Parker later lost the election to Theodore Roosevelt.)  Hearst was also unsuccessful in bids to become Mayor of New York City in 1905 and 1909, losing to George B. McClellan, Jr., and William Jay Gaynor, respectively.  Charles Evans Hughes defeated Hearst in New York's 1906 gubernatorial election.  In 1941, Orson Welles debuted his first feature film, Citizen Kane, which was partly based on Hearst's life.  The film earned Academy Award nominations in nine categories including Outstanding Motion Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor.  It won the Oscar for Best Writing (Original Screenplay) for Herman J. Mankiewicz and Orson Welles.  Hearst died in Beverly Hills, CA, on August 14, 1951, and is buried at the Cypress Lawn Cemetery in Colma, CA.  His mansion overlooking the Pacific Ocean near San Simeon, CA, joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, and became a United States National Historic Landmark in 1976.  According to data collected by the economic census, the number of establishments primarily engaged in publishing and/or broadcasting content on the Internet, exclusively, or operating Web sites that use a search engine to generate and maintain databases of Internet addresses and content in an easily searchable format grew from 3,813 in 2007 to 6,936 in 2012—an 81.9 percent increase.  In 2012, there were 7,663 daily, weekly, and periodic newspaper publishing establishments in the United States employing 234,245 people.  California led the nation with 605 newspaper publishing establishments, followed by Texas (510), and New York (438).     
The April 18, 1906 San Francisco Earthquake, damaged or destroyed the offices of William Randolph Hearst's *San Francisco Examiner* and those of his rivals.One day after the quake, the *Examiner* published a  joint special edition about the disaster with the *San Francisco Call* and *San Francisco Chronicle*,using the *Oakland Tribune's* printing presses.The *San Francisco Examiner* operated out of temporary quarters until moving into the newly constructed Hearst Building in 1911. Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress.Journalism JobsView larger image
The rapid growth of digital information sharing has affected few industries as much as newspaper publishing.  The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that newspaper publishing employed approximately 458,000 people in June 1990.The industry's employment fell to about 412,000 in 2001 and just 174,000 in September 2016.In contrast, employment in the Internet publishing and search portal industry rose from 67,000 in January 2007 to 206,000 in September 2016.Photo of President George W. Bush addressing reporters on September 13, 2001, courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration.
Did You Know?William Randolph Hearst was the son of George Hearst, a wealthy miner, businessman, and U.S. Senator from California.George Hearst arrived in California 1 year after the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill in 1849.Hearst survived off gold prospecting for 10 years before making his fortune on Comstock Lode silver in the Utah Territory, the Ophir mine in present day Nevada, and stakes in significant silver-producing mines in New Mexico and South Dakota.This Month in Census HistoryView larger imageOn April 5, 2010, *Star Trek* and *Heroes* actor George Takei took part in a press conference that urged the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender population to participate in the 2010 Census.The press conference coincided with the release of a public service announcement in which Takei and his partner encouraged same-sex couples to complete the 2010 Census questionnaire.**Visit *https://www.census.gov/history* every month for the latest Census History Home Page!**~~~~[an error occurred while processing this directive]  This symbol  indicates a link to a non-government web site.  Our linking to these sites does not constitute an endorsement of any products, services or the information found on them. Once you link to another site you are subject to the policies of the new site.CONNECT WITH US**********- Information Quality
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