Felix Morley
Encyclopedia
Felix Muskett Morley was a Pulitzer Prize
-winning journalist
from the United States
.
, his father being the mathematician Frank Morley
. Like his brothers, Christopher
and Frank, Felix was educated at Haverford College
and enjoyed a Rhodes Scholarship
to Oxford
, England
. He obtained a Guggenheim Fellowship
to study the League of Nations
in Geneva
, Switzerland
, which resulted in his book The Society of Nations (1933) and a Ph.D.
from the Brookings Institution
.
From 1933 to 1940, Morley worked as editor for The Washington Post
, winning, in 1936, the paper's first Pulitzer Prize
, for his "distinguished editorial writing during the year." The Pulitzer Prize came after the Franklin D. Roosevelt
's National Industrial Recovery Act
was nullified by the U.S. Supreme Court. Morley had written that "[Roosevelt] turned his back on the traditions and principles of his party and gave tremendous support stimulus to the move for a complete political realignment in the United States."
In 1940, Morley left journalism for a post as President of Haverford College
. He also supported Wendell Willkie
that year as presidential candidate. Morley said he lost faith in Roosevelt after his 1937 Court-packing Bill
, and said that Roosevelt had a "debonair attitude of pulling tricks out of a bag."
Morley was one of the founding editors of Human Events
in 1944, although he would leave the magazine in 1950 for its aggressive military stance towards the Soviet Union
. He also had resigned from Haverford College after the War, and continued his journalistic work at NBC
and for Nation's Business. He published his memoirs, For the Record, in 1977. Other books he published after the War were The Power in the People (1949), The Foreign Policy of the United States (1951) and Freedom and Federalism (1959). Also published, in 1956, is his utopia
n novel Gumption Island.
Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing
The Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing has been awarded since 1917 for distinguished editorial writing, the test of excellence being clearness of style, moral purpose, sound reasoning, and power to influence public opinion in what the writer conceives to be the right direction...
-winning journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Biography
Morley was born in Haverford, PennsylvaniaHaverford, Pennsylvania
Haverford is an unincorporated community located partially in Haverford Township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, USA, but primarily in Lower Merion Township in Montgomery County, about west of Philadelphia. It is on the Main Line, which is known historically for its wealth. As of August 2009,...
, his father being the mathematician Frank Morley
Frank Morley
Frank Morley was a leading mathematician, known mostly for his teaching and research in the fields of algebra and geometry...
. Like his brothers, Christopher
Christopher Morley
Christopher Morley was an American journalist, novelist, essayist and poet. He also produced stage productions for a few years and gave college lectures.-Biography:Christopher Morley was born in Haverford, Pennsylvania...
and Frank, Felix was educated at Haverford College
Haverford College
Haverford College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Haverford, Pennsylvania, United States, a suburb of Philadelphia...
and enjoyed a Rhodes Scholarship
Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship, named after Cecil Rhodes, is an international postgraduate award for study at the University of Oxford. It was the first large-scale programme of international scholarships, and is widely considered the "world's most prestigious scholarship" by many public sources such as...
to Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He obtained a Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
to study the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, which resulted in his book The Society of Nations (1933) and a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from the Brookings Institution
Brookings Institution
The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, D.C., in the United States. One of Washington's oldest think tanks, Brookings conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in economics, metropolitan policy, governance, foreign policy, and...
.
From 1933 to 1940, Morley worked as editor for The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, winning, in 1936, the paper's first 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...
, for his "distinguished editorial writing during the year." The Pulitzer Prize came after the Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
's National Industrial Recovery Act
National Industrial Recovery Act
The National Industrial Recovery Act , officially known as the Act of June 16, 1933 The National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA), officially known as the Act of June 16, 1933 The National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA), officially known as the Act of June 16, 1933 (Ch. 90, 48 Stat. 195, formerly...
was nullified by the U.S. Supreme Court. Morley had written that "[Roosevelt] turned his back on the traditions and principles of his party and gave tremendous support stimulus to the move for a complete political realignment in the United States."
In 1940, Morley left journalism for a post as President of Haverford College
Haverford College
Haverford College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Haverford, Pennsylvania, United States, a suburb of Philadelphia...
. He also supported Wendell Willkie
Wendell Willkie
Wendell Lewis Willkie was a corporate lawyer in the United States and a dark horse who became the Republican Party nominee for the president in 1940. A member of the liberal wing of the GOP, he crusaded against those domestic policies of the New Deal that he thought were inefficient and...
that year as presidential candidate. Morley said he lost faith in Roosevelt after his 1937 Court-packing Bill
Judiciary Reorganization Bill of 1937
The Judicial Procedures Reform Bill of 1937, frequently called the court-packing plan, was a legislative initiative proposed by U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt to add more justices to the U.S. Supreme Court. Roosevelt's purpose was to obtain favorable rulings regarding New Deal legislation that...
, and said that Roosevelt had a "debonair attitude of pulling tricks out of a bag."
Morley was one of the founding editors of Human Events
Human Events
Human Events is a weekly American conservative magazine. It takes its name from the first sentence of the United States Declaration of Independence...
in 1944, although he would leave the magazine in 1950 for its aggressive military stance towards the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. He also had resigned from Haverford College after the War, and continued his journalistic work at NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
and for Nation's Business. He published his memoirs, For the Record, in 1977. Other books he published after the War were The Power in the People (1949), The Foreign Policy of the United States (1951) and Freedom and Federalism (1959). Also published, in 1956, is his utopia
Utopia
Utopia is an ideal community or society possessing a perfect socio-politico-legal system. The word was imported from Greek by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book Utopia, describing a fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean. The term has been used to describe both intentional communities that attempt...
n novel Gumption Island.
Sources
External links
- American Republic or American Empire Modern AgeModern AgeModern Age is an American conservative academic quarterly journal, founded in 1957 by Russell Kirk in close collaboration with Henry Regnery...
, Volume 1, Number 1, Summer 1957. - Sound recordings of speeches by Morley to the Institute for Humane Studies at the Hoover Institution Archives.