Hamilton Fyfe
Encyclopedia
Henry Hamilton Fyfe was a British journalist and writer who served as editor of both the Daily Mirror and the Daily Herald.
, Fyfe was the son of James Hamilton Fyfe, a barrister and journalist, and his wife Mary. He was educated at Fettes College
, Edinburgh
; he joined the staff of The Times
at the age of seventeen, where he worked as a reporter and reviewer before becoming secretary to the editor, George Earle Buckle
. In 1902, he was named editor of the Morning Advertiser
, the trade publication of the Licensed Victuallers' Association. Though his efforts to improve the paper soon ran afoul of the paper's owners, they did draw the attention of the press baron Alfred Harmsworth
, who offered Fyfe the opportunity to spearhead the transformation of the struggling Daily Mirror the following year. Fyfe accepted Harmsworth's offer, and turned the paper from a struggling publication catering to women readers into an enormously popular newspaper through the use of photojournalism
.
In 1907, Fyfe gave up the editorship of the Daily Mirror to become a reporter for another Harmsworth publication, the Daily Mail
. He gained considerable renown during this period, initially by covering notable aviation feats such as Louis Blériot
's successful crossing of the English Channel
. He also covered Venustiano Carranza
's overthrow of the Huerta
regime in Mexico as well as the growing tension in Ulster in 1914. At the start of World War I
he was sent to France, where he scored further success early on with his reports of the Great Retreat
from Mons. Over the course of the war, he filed reports from Russia, Spain, Portugal, and Italy, before aiding Harmsworth (by now Lord Northcliffe) in his propaganda efforts for the British government.
A man of the political left
, Fyfe nonetheless liked the conservative Northcliffe and enjoyed a good relationship with him until the latter's mental deterioration after the war. After Northcliffe's death in 1922, Fyfe agreed to edit the Daily Herald. During his tenure there, he succeeded in nearly quadrupling the paper's circulation but clashed with the editorial board, which was dominated by members of the Trades Union Congress
. In 1926, he left the editorship to take a position as a reporter with the Daily Chronicle
, working there until the paper's merger with the Daily News
four years later. During this period, he stood unsuccessfully for Parliament as a Labour Party
candidate in the general elections of 1929
and 1931
.
After he left the Daily Chronicle, Fyfe concentrated on his independent writing. His success as a playwright dated back to 1909 with the performance of A Modern Aspasia in 1909; he also wrote a number of biographies of writers and journalists culminating in his own memoirs, Sixty Years of Fleet Street, which was published two years before his death at a nursing home in Sussex
.
Career
Born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Fyfe was the son of James Hamilton Fyfe, a barrister and journalist, and his wife Mary. He was educated at Fettes College
Fettes College
Fettes College is an independent school for boarding and day pupils in Edinburgh, Scotland with over two thirds of its pupils in residence on campus...
, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
; he joined the staff of The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
at the age of seventeen, where he worked as a reporter and reviewer before becoming secretary to the editor, George Earle Buckle
George Earle Buckle
George Earle Buckle was an English editor and biographer.-Early years:Buckle was the son of George Buckle, a rector, and canon and precentor of Wells Cathedral, and Mary Hamlyn Earle, the sister of the philologist John Earle. He attended Honition grammar school and Winchester College before...
. In 1902, he was named editor of the Morning Advertiser
Morning Advertiser
Morning Advertiser is the only weekly pub trade publication in the UK. It currently has a circulation of more than 32,500 that reaches the key decision-makers in England and Wales. In March 2011, William Reed Business Media, bought The Publican from United Business Media and merged the two titles...
, the trade publication of the Licensed Victuallers' Association. Though his efforts to improve the paper soon ran afoul of the paper's owners, they did draw the attention of the press baron Alfred Harmsworth
Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe
Alfred Charles William Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe rose from childhood poverty to become a powerful British newspaper and publishing magnate, famed for buying stolid, unprofitable newspapers and transforming them to make them lively and entertaining for the mass market.His company...
, who offered Fyfe the opportunity to spearhead the transformation of the struggling Daily Mirror the following year. Fyfe accepted Harmsworth's offer, and turned the paper from a struggling publication catering to women readers into an enormously popular newspaper through the use of photojournalism
Photojournalism
Photojournalism is a particular form of journalism that creates images in order to tell a news story. It is now usually understood to refer only to still images, but in some cases the term also refers to video used in broadcast journalism...
.
In 1907, Fyfe gave up the editorship of the Daily Mirror to become a reporter for another Harmsworth publication, the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
. He gained considerable renown during this period, initially by covering notable aviation feats such as Louis Blériot
Louis Blériot
Louis Charles Joseph Blériot was a French aviator, inventor and engineer. In 1909 he completed the first flight across a large body of water in a heavier-than-air craft, when he crossed the English Channel. For this achievement, he received a prize of £1,000...
's successful crossing of the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
. He also covered Venustiano Carranza
Venustiano Carranza
Venustiano Carranza de la Garza, was one of the leaders of the Mexican Revolution. He ultimately became President of Mexico following the overthrow of the dictatorial Huerta regime in the summer of 1914 and during his administration the current constitution of Mexico was drafted...
's overthrow of the Huerta
Victoriano Huerta
José Victoriano Huerta Márquez was a Mexican military officer and president of Mexico. Huerta's supporters were known as Huertistas during the Mexican Revolution...
regime in Mexico as well as the growing tension in Ulster in 1914. At the start of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
he was sent to France, where he scored further success early on with his reports of the Great Retreat
Great Retreat
The Great Retreat, also known as the Retreat from Mons, is the name given to the long, fighting retreat by Allied forces to the River Marne, on the Western Front early in World War I, after their holding action against the Imperial German Armies at the Battle of Mons on 23 August 1914...
from Mons. Over the course of the war, he filed reports from Russia, Spain, Portugal, and Italy, before aiding Harmsworth (by now Lord Northcliffe) in his propaganda efforts for the British government.
A man of the political left
Left-wing politics
In politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society...
, Fyfe nonetheless liked the conservative Northcliffe and enjoyed a good relationship with him until the latter's mental deterioration after the war. After Northcliffe's death in 1922, Fyfe agreed to edit the Daily Herald. During his tenure there, he succeeded in nearly quadrupling the paper's circulation but clashed with the editorial board, which was dominated by members of the Trades Union Congress
Trades Union Congress
The Trades Union Congress is a national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions in the United Kingdom, representing the majority of trade unions...
. In 1926, he left the editorship to take a position as a reporter with the Daily Chronicle
Daily Chronicle
The Daily Chronicle was a British newspaper that was published from 1872 to 1930 when it merged with the Daily News to become the News Chronicle.-History:...
, working there until the paper's merger with the Daily News
Daily News (UK)
The Daily News was a national daily newspaper in the United Kingdom.The News was founded in 1846 by Charles Dickens, who also served as the newspaper's first editor. It was conceived as a radical rival to the right-wing Morning Chronicle. The paper was not at first a commercial success...
four years later. During this period, he stood unsuccessfully for Parliament as a Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
candidate in the general elections of 1929
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
and 1931
United Kingdom general election, 1931
The United Kingdom general election on Tuesday 27 October 1931 was the last in the United Kingdom not held on a Thursday. It was also the last election, and the only one under universal suffrage, where one party received an absolute majority of the votes cast.The 1931 general election was the...
.
After he left the Daily Chronicle, Fyfe concentrated on his independent writing. His success as a playwright dated back to 1909 with the performance of A Modern Aspasia in 1909; he also wrote a number of biographies of writers and journalists culminating in his own memoirs, Sixty Years of Fleet Street, which was published two years before his death at a nursing home in Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
.