William M. Laffan
Encyclopedia
William MacKay Laffan was the publisher and editor of the New York Sun in the final years of the 19th century and the first years of the 20th, and a friend, correspondent and publisher of Mark Twain
.
Laffan was born in Dublin and educated privately and at Trinity College Dublin. Some years after completing his education he emigrated to the United States of America. He died of appendicitis at his Long Island
home in Lawrence
on 19 November 1909.
In 1877 Laffan went to work for the New York Sun, then owned by Charles Anderson Dana
, as a general writer, often writing art criticism. From 1881 to 1884 he was art editor for Harper & Brothers
.
In 1884 he became publisher of The Sun, and in 1887 founded the Evening Sun. In 1897 Laffan, with the backing of J. P. Morgan
, acquired the Morning Sun from Dana's estate, turning it into a mouthpiece for Morgan's interests. He also founded the Sun News Service (later renamed Laffan News Bureau), after a protracted conflict with the Associated Press
.
In 1900 he became President of the Sun Printing and Publishing Association.
’s catalogue of the W. T. Walters
collection of Oriental ceramic art. He was a trustee of the Metropolitan Museum, and sat on the acquisitions committee.
Laffan provided the text for the volume Engravings on Wood, which showcased the work of members of the Society of American Wood Engravers.
on a special train from Long Island City
, but by no members of his immediate family.
In 1910, J. P. Morgan donated $100,000 to Yale University
to establish the William M. Laffan Professorship of Assyriology and Babylonian Literature in his memory.
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
.
Laffan was born in Dublin and educated privately and at Trinity College Dublin. Some years after completing his education he emigrated to the United States of America. He died of appendicitis at his Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
home in Lawrence
Lawrence, Nassau County, New York
Lawrence is a village in Nassau County, New York in the USA. As of the United States 2010 Census, the village population was 6,483.The Village of Lawrence is in the southwest corner of the Town of Hempstead, adjoining the border with the New York City borough of Queens to the west and near the...
on 19 November 1909.
Career as newsman
Laffan's first job in journalism was as a reporter for the San Francisco Bulletin, where he quickly became managing editor. He went on to be editor and part-owner of the Baltimore Daily Bulletin.In 1877 Laffan went to work for the New York Sun, then owned by Charles Anderson Dana
Charles Anderson Dana
Charles Anderson Dana was an American journalist, author, and government official, best known for his association with Ulysses S. Grant during the American Civil War and his aggressive political advocacy after the war....
, as a general writer, often writing art criticism. From 1881 to 1884 he was art editor for Harper & Brothers
Harper & Brothers
Harper is an American publishing house, the flagship imprint of global publisher HarperCollins.-History:James Harper and his brother John, printers by training, started their book publishing business J. & J. Harper in 1817. Their two brothers, Joseph Wesley Harper and Fletcher Harper, joined them...
.
In 1884 he became publisher of The Sun, and in 1887 founded the Evening Sun. In 1897 Laffan, with the backing of J. P. Morgan
J. P. Morgan
John Pierpont Morgan was an American financier, banker and art collector who dominated corporate finance and industrial consolidation during his time. In 1892 Morgan arranged the merger of Edison General Electric and Thomson-Houston Electric Company to form General Electric...
, acquired the Morning Sun from Dana's estate, turning it into a mouthpiece for Morgan's interests. He also founded the Sun News Service (later renamed Laffan News Bureau), after a protracted conflict with the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
.
In 1900 he became President of the Sun Printing and Publishing Association.
Artistic interests
Laffan took a keen interest in Chinese porcelain and engraving, compiling the catalogue (2 vols, 1904–1911) of the Morgan Collection of Chinese porcelains (on display in the Metropolitan Museum until 1915), which was completed after his death by Thomas B. Clarke. He also provided a preface to Stephen W. BushellStephen Wootton Bushell
Stephen Wootton Bushell CMG MD was an English physician and amateur Orientalist who made important contributions to the study of Chinese ceramics, Chinese numismatics and the decipherment of the Tangut script.-Biography:...
’s catalogue of the W. T. Walters
William Thompson Walters
William Thompson Walters was an American businessman and art collector, whose collection formed the basis of the Walters Art Museum.-Biography:He was born in Liverpool, Pennsylvania in 1819...
collection of Oriental ceramic art. He was a trustee of the Metropolitan Museum, and sat on the acquisitions committee.
Laffan provided the text for the volume Engravings on Wood, which showcased the work of members of the Society of American Wood Engravers.
Commemoration
His funeral service was attended by 500 mourners who travelled to LawrenceLawrence (LIRR station)
Lawrence is a station on the Long Island Rail Road's Far Rockaway Branch in Lawrence, in Nassau County, New York, United States. The station is officially located at Lawrence Avenue and Bayview Avenue, two blocks west of Central Avenue, however the actual location is two blocks north of Central...
on a special train from Long Island City
Long Island City (LIRR station)
Long Island City is a rail terminal of the Long Island Rail Road in Long Island City, Queens. Within the City Terminal Zone and located at Borden Avenue and 2nd Street, it is the westernmost LIRR station in Queens and the end of both the Main Line and the Montauk Branch...
, but by no members of his immediate family.
In 1910, J. P. Morgan donated $100,000 to Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
to establish the William M. Laffan Professorship of Assyriology and Babylonian Literature in his memory.