Arthur Ochs Sulzberger
Encyclopedia
Arthur Ochs "Punch" Sulzberger, Sr. (born February 5, 1926) to a prominent media and publishing family, is himself an American publisher and businessman. He succeeded his father, Arthur Hays Sulzberger
, and maternal grandfather as publisher and chairman of the New York Times
in 1963, passing the positions to his son Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, Jr. in 1992.
to Arthur Hays Sulzberger
. Sulzberger graduated from the Loomis Institute and then enlisted into the United States Marine Corps
during World War II
serving from 1944 to 1946, in the Pacific Theater
. He married Barbara Winslow Grant on July 2, 1948 in a civil ceremony at her parents' home in Purchase, New York
. He earned a B.A. degree in English and History in 1951 at Columbia University
. As a Marine Forces Reserve he was recalled to active duty during the Korean War
. Following completion of officer training, he saw duty in Korea
and then in Washington, D.C.
, before being inactivated.
He became publisher of The Times in 1963, after the death of his brother-in-law, Orvil Dryfoos
. In the 1960s Sulzberger built a large news-gathering staff at The Times, and was publisher when the newspaper won a Pulitzer Prize
in 1972 for publishing The Pentagon Papers. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
in 1988. His son Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr.
succeeded him as the newspaper's publisher in 1992. Sulzberger remained chairman of The New York Times Company
until October 1997. In 2005, the Newspaper Association of America
(NAA) honored Sulzberger with the Katharine Graham
Lifetime Achievement Award.
Personally, later in life he married Allison Cowles, part of the Cowles family
which owns The Spokesman-Review of Spokane, Wash.
, in 1996.
Arthur Hays Sulzberger
Arthur Hays Sulzberger was the publisher of The New York Times from 1935 to 1961. During that time, daily circulation rose from 465,000 to 713,000 and Sunday circulation from 745,000 to 1.4 million; the staff more than doubled, reaching 5,200; advertising linage grew from 19 million to 62 million...
, and maternal grandfather as publisher and chairman of the New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
in 1963, passing the positions to his son Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, Jr. in 1992.
Biography
He was born on February 5, 1926 in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to Arthur Hays Sulzberger
Arthur Hays Sulzberger
Arthur Hays Sulzberger was the publisher of The New York Times from 1935 to 1961. During that time, daily circulation rose from 465,000 to 713,000 and Sunday circulation from 745,000 to 1.4 million; the staff more than doubled, reaching 5,200; advertising linage grew from 19 million to 62 million...
. Sulzberger graduated from the Loomis Institute and then enlisted into the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
serving from 1944 to 1946, in the Pacific Theater
Pacific Theater of Operations
The Pacific Theater of Operations was the World War II area of military activity in the Pacific Ocean and the countries bordering it, a geographic scope that reflected the operational and administrative command structures of the American forces during that period...
. He married Barbara Winslow Grant on July 2, 1948 in a civil ceremony at her parents' home in Purchase, New York
Purchase, New York
Purchase, New York is a hamlet of the town of Harrison, in Westchester County. Its ZIP code is 10577. Its name is derived from Harrison's purchase, for Harrison could have as much land as he could ride in one day...
. He earned a B.A. degree in English and History in 1951 at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. As a Marine Forces Reserve he was recalled to active duty during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. Following completion of officer training, he saw duty in Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
and then in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, before being inactivated.
He became publisher of The Times in 1963, after the death of his brother-in-law, Orvil Dryfoos
Orvil Dryfoos
Orvil Eugene Dryfoos was the publisher of The New York Times from 1961 to his death in 1963. Dryfoos entered The Times family via his marriage to Marian Sulzberger, daughter of then-publisher Arthur Hays Sulzberger....
. In the 1960s Sulzberger built a large news-gathering staff at The Times, and was publisher when the newspaper won a Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
in 1972 for publishing The Pentagon Papers. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
in 1988. His son Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr.
Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr.
Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, Jr. became the publisher of The New York Times in 1992 and chairman of the board of its owner, The New York Times Company, in 1997, succeeding his father, Arthur Ochs Sulzberger...
succeeded him as the newspaper's publisher in 1992. Sulzberger remained chairman of The New York Times Company
The New York Times Company
The New York Times Company is an American media company best known as the publisher of its namesake, The New York Times. Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, Jr. has served as Chairman of the Board since 1997. It is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City....
until October 1997. In 2005, the Newspaper Association of America
Newspaper Association of America
The Newspaper Association of America is a trade association representing approximately 2000 newspapers in the United States and Canada. Member newspapers represented by the NAA include large daily papers, non-daily and small-market publications, as well as digital and multiplatform...
(NAA) honored Sulzberger with the Katharine Graham
Katharine Graham
Katharine Meyer Graham was an American publisher. She led her family's newspaper, The Washington Post, for more than two decades, overseeing its most famous period, the Watergate coverage that eventually led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon...
Lifetime Achievement Award.
Personally, later in life he married Allison Cowles, part of the Cowles family
Cowles Publishing Company
Cowles Publishing Company, sometimes shortened to Cowles Company, is a newspaper publisher and diversified company in Spokane, Washington in the United States. Cowles Publishing owns and operates the The Spokesman-Review newspaper in Spokane founded in 1894...
which owns The Spokesman-Review of Spokane, Wash.
Spokane
Spokane is a city in the U.S. state of Washington.Spokane may also refer to:*Spokane *Spokane River*Spokane, Missouri*Spokane Valley, Washington*Spokane County, Washington*Spokane-Coeur d'Alene-Paloos War*Spokane * USS Spokane...
, in 1996.
Quotes about Sulzberger
- "Eventually, Sulzberger, then in London, rejecting the views of some of his colleagues in senior management as well as the dire warnings of his outside counsel, made the call to accept the risks of publication rather than those of silence. On Sunday, June 13, [1971], the Times published the first in a series of seven articles about the Pentagon PapersPentagon PapersThe Pentagon Papers, officially titled United States – Vietnam Relations, 1945–1967: A Study Prepared by the Department of Defense, is a United States Department of Defense history of the United States' political-military involvement in Vietnam from 1945 to 1967...
. In retrospect, the decision may seem obvious, but it was by no means an easy one at the time, and it remains one for which Sulzberger deserves enormous credit." Floyd AbramsFloyd AbramsFloyd Abrams is an American attorney at Cahill Gordon & Reindel. He is an expert on constitutional law, and many arguments in the briefs he has written before the United States Supreme Court have been adopted as United States Constitutional interpretative law as it relates to the First Amendment...
.