Dorothy Schiff
Encyclopedia
Dorothy Schiff was an owner and then publisher of the New York Post
for nearly 40 years. She was a granddaughter of financier Jacob H. Schiff. Schiff was interested in social services and reform, and was involved in several welfare groups.
into a prominent German
Jewish banking family, the daughter of Mortimer Schiff and Adele Neustadt Schiff and the granddaughter of financier Jacob H. Schiff. She attended secondary school at Manhattan's Brearley School
and attended Bryn Mawr College
in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
. Afterward, she began living as a wealthy debutante
.
, Schiff's political stance changed and she became a strong supporter of the Democratic party and the New Deal
. She was interested in social services and reform, and was involved in several welfare groups, chief among them the Henry Street Settlement
. She lived in New York City and had a countryhouse in Bernardsville, New Jersey
.
In 1939, Schiff bought control of the New York Post, at the urging of Backer, installing him as publisher and president. When he resigned in 1942, she took up the mantle and became New York's first female newspaper publisher. After divorcing Backer in 1943, she married Ted Thackrey
, whom she had earlier installed as editor; it was Thackrey's idea to change the Post's format from a broadsheet to a tabloid. Under her tenure the Post was devoted to liberalism, supporting trade union
s and social welfare. During the 1940s, The Post featured the most popular columnists of the time, such as Drew Pearson
, Eleanor Roosevelt
, and Eric Sevareid
. She also wrote her own column called "Dear Reader". In 1945, Schiff launched the Paris Post, the second ever American newspaper to be published in Paris
. It lasted until 1948.
Thackrey left the Post after a disagreement over whom to support for the presidency in 1948; Thackrey favored Henry A. Wallace
whereas Schiff favored Thomas Dewey
. This caused Thackrey to resign in 1949, and they divorced a year later.
Schiff's fourth husband was Rudolph G. Sonneborn.
In 1958, Schiff caused controversy by withdrawing her support at the last minute of Governor Averell Harriman. Though she did not endorse Harriman's opponent, Nelson Rockefeller
, the sudden disendorsement of Harriman—it came in the final edition of the Post on the day before the election—swung the vote in Rockefeller's favor, and helped to launch his political career.
Jeffrey Potter's Men, Money and Magic: The Story of Dorothy Schiff, a biography about Schiff, was published in 1976. The book generated significant publicity after The New York Times
reported on its front page that Schiff, in the book, claimed to have had an affair with Franklin D. Roosevelt
. Schiff denied this, saying she only had a "relationship" with FDR.
Schiff sold the Post to Rupert Murdoch
in 1976 for a reported $31 million. It is believed that she was pessimistic about the future of afternoon papers in the city; also, a change in federal inheritance laws would have affected the value of her estate unless she sold the paper when she did. She remained as an official consultant
until 1981, although she played no actual role at the paper. She died at her home in New York City on August 30, 1989. A more complete biography, The Lady Upstairs: Dorothy Schiff and the New York Post by Marilyn Nissenson, was published in 2007.
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
for nearly 40 years. She was a granddaughter of financier Jacob H. Schiff. Schiff was interested in social services and reform, and was involved in several welfare groups.
Early life
Schiff was born 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...
into a prominent German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Jewish banking family, the daughter of Mortimer Schiff and Adele Neustadt Schiff and the granddaughter of financier Jacob H. Schiff. She attended secondary school at Manhattan's Brearley School
Brearley School
The Brearley School is an all-girls private school in New York City, New York, United States. It is located on the Upper East Side of the Manhattan borough of New York City. The school is divided into the Lower School , Middle School and Upper School...
and attended Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College is a women's liberal arts college located in Bryn Mawr, a community in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, ten miles west of Philadelphia. The name "Bryn Mawr" means "big hill" in Welsh....
in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
Bryn Mawr from Welsh for "big hill") is a census-designated place in Lower Merion Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, just west of Philadelphia along Lancaster Avenue and the border with Delaware County...
. Afterward, she began living as a wealthy debutante
Debutante
A débutante is a young lady from an aristocratic or upper class family who has reached the age of maturity, and as a new adult, is introduced to society at a formal "début" presentation. It should not be confused with a Debs...
.
Marriages, The New York Post
Schiff's first marriage came in 1923, in spite of strong resistance by her parents, to Richard B.W. Hall, a broker. In the 1930s when she married George Backer, a city councillor and a staunch liberal DemocratDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, Schiff's political stance changed and she became a strong supporter of the Democratic party and the New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
. She was interested in social services and reform, and was involved in several welfare groups, chief among them the Henry Street Settlement
Henry Street Settlement
The Henry Street Settlement is a not-for-profit social service agency in the Lower East Side neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City that provides social services, arts programs and health care services to New Yorkers of all ages. It was founded in 1893 by Progressive reformer Lillian Wald.The...
. She lived in New York City and had a countryhouse in Bernardsville, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
.
In 1939, Schiff bought control of the New York Post, at the urging of Backer, installing him as publisher and president. When he resigned in 1942, she took up the mantle and became New York's first female newspaper publisher. After divorcing Backer in 1943, she married Ted Thackrey
Ted Thackrey
Theodore O. "Ted" Thackrey was an American journalist and publisher, best known as the editor of the New York Post in the 1940s, and the founder of the leftist New York City newspaper The Daily Compass.-Biography:...
, whom she had earlier installed as editor; it was Thackrey's idea to change the Post's format from a broadsheet to a tabloid. Under her tenure the Post was devoted to liberalism, supporting trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
s and social welfare. During the 1940s, The Post featured the most popular columnists of the time, such as Drew Pearson
Drew Pearson (journalist)
Andrew Russell Pearson , known professionally as Drew Pearson, was one of the best-known American columnists of his day, noted for his muckraking syndicated newspaper column "Washington Merry-Go-Round," in which he attacked various public persons, sometimes with little or no objective proof for his...
, Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945. She supported the New Deal policies of her husband, distant cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and became an advocate for civil rights. After her husband's death in 1945, Roosevelt continued to be an international...
, and Eric Sevareid
Eric Sevareid
Arnold Eric Sevareid was a CBS news journalist from 1939 to 1977. He was one of a group of elite war correspondents—dubbed "Murrow's Boys"—because they were hired by pioneering CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow....
. She also wrote her own column called "Dear Reader". In 1945, Schiff launched the Paris Post, the second ever American newspaper to be published in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. It lasted until 1948.
Thackrey left the Post after a disagreement over whom to support for the presidency in 1948; Thackrey favored Henry A. Wallace
Henry A. Wallace
Henry Agard Wallace was the 33rd Vice President of the United States , the Secretary of Agriculture , and the Secretary of Commerce . In the 1948 presidential election, Wallace was the nominee of the Progressive Party.-Early life:Henry A...
whereas Schiff favored Thomas Dewey
Thomas Dewey
Thomas Edmund Dewey was the 47th Governor of New York . In 1944 and 1948, he was the Republican candidate for President, but lost both times. He led the liberal faction of the Republican Party, in which he fought conservative Ohio Senator Robert A. Taft...
. This caused Thackrey to resign in 1949, and they divorced a year later.
Schiff's fourth husband was Rudolph G. Sonneborn.
In 1958, Schiff caused controversy by withdrawing her support at the last minute of Governor Averell Harriman. Though she did not endorse Harriman's opponent, Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller was the 41st Vice President of the United States , serving under President Gerald Ford, and the 49th Governor of New York , as well as serving the Roosevelt, Truman and Eisenhower administrations in a variety of positions...
, the sudden disendorsement of Harriman—it came in the final edition of the Post on the day before the election—swung the vote in Rockefeller's favor, and helped to launch his political career.
Jeffrey Potter's Men, Money and Magic: The Story of Dorothy Schiff, a biography about Schiff, was published in 1976. The book generated significant publicity after 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...
reported on its front page that Schiff, in the book, claimed to have had an affair with 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...
. Schiff denied this, saying she only had a "relationship" with FDR.
Schiff sold the Post to Rupert Murdoch
Rupert Murdoch
Keith Rupert Murdoch, AC, KSG is an Australian-American business magnate. He is the founder and Chairman and CEO of , the world's second-largest media conglomerate....
in 1976 for a reported $31 million. It is believed that she was pessimistic about the future of afternoon papers in the city; also, a change in federal inheritance laws would have affected the value of her estate unless she sold the paper when she did. She remained as an official consultant
Consultant
A consultant is a professional who provides professional or expert advice in a particular area such as management, accountancy, the environment, entertainment, technology, law , human resources, marketing, emergency management, food production, medicine, finance, life management, economics, public...
until 1981, although she played no actual role at the paper. She died at her home in New York City on August 30, 1989. A more complete biography, The Lady Upstairs: Dorothy Schiff and the New York Post by Marilyn Nissenson, was published in 2007.
External links
- Jones, Alex S. "The Post: 187-Year Fight to Survive Wildly Political and Violent Heritage", The New York Times, February 9, 1988; retrieved March 23, 2007
- Sheehy, GailGail SheehyGail Sheehy is an American writer and lecturer, most notable for her books on life and the life cycle. She is also a contributor to Vanity Fair magazine....
. "The Life of the Most Powerful Woman in New York", New York Magazine, December 10, 1973