John Bertram Oakes
Encyclopedia
John Bertram Oakes was an iconoclast
ic and influential U.S. journalist known for his early commitment to the environment, civil rights, and opposition to the Vietnam War
. He was born in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania
, the second son of George Washington Ochs Oakes and Bertie Gans. The creator of the modern op-ed
page and editor of the New York Times editorial page from 1961 to 1976, his was an idealistic and progressive American voice.
His uncle was Adolph Ochs, the publisher of the New York Times, and Oakes grew up very much a part of the "Times family." But although Oakes was groomed for a life of journalism as a member of one of its ruling families, he earned his laurels. Valedictorian
of his class at Princeton University
(A.B., 1934), he was one of the few Jews on campus, and conducted Sabbath services for his co-religionists as well as led a campaign to democratize the selective clubs. He graduated magna cum laude and became a Rhodes Scholar (A.B., A.M., Queens College, Oxford, 1936).
's New Deal
from its earliest days, he seized the opportunity to move to Washington in 1937, where he became a political reporter for The Washington Post
. In Washington, he covered the U.S. Congress, the Dies Un-American Activities Committee and F.D.R.'s 1940 campaign.
in 1941, Oakes entered the Army as a private in the infantry. He was recruited to join the O.S.S. (the Office of Strategic Services
), and served two years in Europe capturing and "turning" enemy agents still in communication with the Nazis. In recognition of his service there he received the Bronze Star, the Croix de Guerre, the Medaille de Reconnaissance and the Order of the British Empire. He ended the war with the rank of lieutenant colonel.
. While an editorial page writer, in 1951 he convinced the paper’s editors to let him write, in his spare time, a monthly column on a topic that at that time seemed arcane––the environment. He also wrote steadily for other areas of the paper, such as the book review and the Sunday magazine, for which he wrote a memorable and devastating profile of Joseph McCarthy
("This Is the Real,the Lasting Damage," March 7, 1954), in an era when to do so was to invite harassment, that became the basis of an Eleanor Roosevelt
newspaper column and was subsequently widely reprinted.
His career on the editorial board, first as a writer (1949–1961) and then as editorial page editor (1961–1976) spanned the Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Ford administrations, and saw upheaval, renewal, and social revolution in America. As editorial page editor, he appointed the first woman in fifty years (Ada Louise Huxtable
), and the first African American ever (Roger Wilkins
), to the editorial board.
Oakes was famously out of step with his more conservative cousin, Arthur Ochs Sulzberger
, who became publisher in 1963, two years after Oakes' appointment to run the editorial page. Their most noteworthy confrontation occurred in 1976, when the Times had to decide who it would endorse as New York's junior senator in the upcoming Democratic party primary. Sulzberger wanted Daniel Patrick Moynihan
, but Oakes preferred Bella Abzug
. Sulzberger overruled Oakes, but allowed him to write a printed rebuttal. But according to Harrison Salisbury
, writing in Without Fear or Favor, Sulzberger judged Oakes' response to be too emotional and divisive. Oakes eventually had to content himself with an unprecedented one-sentence dissent, which appeared as a "Letter to the Editor"--essentially a letter to himself—on the Times editorial page on September 11, 1976, and which in its entirety read: "As Editor of the Editorial Page of The Times, I must express disagreement with the endorsement in today's editorial columns of Mr. Moynihan over four other candidates in the New York State Democratic primary contest for the United States Senate." According to the Village Voice article on Oakes' death (May 1, 2001), "the Times was credited with giving Moynihan his one percent margin of victory." Shortly afterward, Sulzberger replaced Oakes as editorial page editor with Max Frankel
, who described his approach to politics, in contrast to Oakes', as "more fun." Journalist John L. Hess
said on Oakes' death in 2002, that after his departure "the editorials never recovered."
On his retirement from the editorial page, he became a contributing columnist to the op-ed page, writing primarily (through the Reagan, Carter and first Bush administrations) on domestic politics, foreign affairs, human rights, civil liberties, and the environment.
(1963), making the Times one of the few papers to take such a stand and leading to personal attacks on him by President Lyndon B. Johnson
, Dean Rusk
and others; and advocacy of conservation and protection of natural resources. In 1966, he was awarded the George Polk Award for bringing to the editorial page "a brilliance, an intensity and a perceptiveness" that made it "the most vital and influential journalistic voice in America."
He was nothing if not persistent. After pushing the idea for ten years with a succession of publishers, he initiated the first modern op-ed
(so called because it appeared "opposite the editorial page"; the belief that the phrase stands for "opinion"-"editorial" is incorrect) page on September 21, 1970, on which the op-ed page of every other American newspaper is modeled. As he wrote in introducing the page, his basic motive was to provide a window on the ideas and opinions of non-journalists. The appearance of Times columnists on the new op-ed page (limited to one or two per day in the early years) reflected merely the need to create more space for "Letters to the Editor" on the editorial page––as he later wrote, "again in the interests of broadening the opportunity for expression of outside opinion in the Times." In a recent interview, the current op-ed page editor, David Shipley, referred to the page as Oakes' "brainchild."
The John B. Oakes Award for Distinguished Environmental Journalism was established in 1994 by the Natural Resources Defense Council
as an annual prize for print journalists; it is now administered by the Columbia University School of Journalism.
Two weeks before Oakes’ death in 2001 he was awarded a second George Polk Award, for his "lifetime achievements." Wrote Hess, in his obituary, "If people think of the Times today as a great newspaper and a liberal one, it’s largely an illusion, but Oakes believed in it and tried to make it true."
Iconoclasm
Iconoclasm is the deliberate destruction of religious icons and other symbols or monuments, usually with religious or political motives. It is a frequent component of major political or religious changes...
ic and influential U.S. journalist known for his early commitment to the environment, civil rights, and opposition to the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. He was born in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania
Elkins Park, Pennsylvania
Elkins Park is an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is split between Cheltenham and Abington Townships in the suburbs of Philadelphia, roughly from Center City, Philadelphia.-Points of interest:...
, the second son of George Washington Ochs Oakes and Bertie Gans. The creator of the modern op-ed
Op-ed
An op-ed, abbreviated from opposite the editorial page , is a newspaper article that expresses the opinions of a named writer who is usually unaffiliated with the newspaper's editorial board...
page and editor of the New York Times editorial page from 1961 to 1976, his was an idealistic and progressive American voice.
His uncle was Adolph Ochs, the publisher of the New York Times, and Oakes grew up very much a part of the "Times family." But although Oakes was groomed for a life of journalism as a member of one of its ruling families, he earned his laurels. Valedictorian
Valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution...
of his class at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
(A.B., 1934), he was one of the few Jews on campus, and conducted Sabbath services for his co-religionists as well as led a campaign to democratize the selective clubs. He graduated magna cum laude and became a Rhodes Scholar (A.B., A.M., Queens College, Oxford, 1936).
The New Deal Era
On his return to the United States in 1936, he joined the Trenton Times as a reporter. An avid supporter of Franklin D. RooseveltFranklin 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 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...
from its earliest days, he seized the opportunity to move to Washington in 1937, where he became a political reporter 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...
. In Washington, he covered the U.S. Congress, the Dies Un-American Activities Committee and F.D.R.'s 1940 campaign.
Military service
With the outbreak of World War IIWorld 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...
in 1941, Oakes entered the Army as a private in the infantry. He was recruited to join the O.S.S. (the Office of Strategic Services
Office of Strategic Services
The Office of Strategic Services was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. It was the wartime intelligence agency, and it was a predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency...
), and served two years in Europe capturing and "turning" enemy agents still in communication with the Nazis. In recognition of his service there he received the Bronze Star, the Croix de Guerre, the Medaille de Reconnaissance and the Order of the British Empire. He ended the war with the rank of lieutenant colonel.
Career at the Times
Immediately after his discharge in 1946, he joined the "family paper" as editor of the Sunday New York Times "Review of the Week." Three years later, he became a member of the editorial boardEditorial board
The editorial board is a group of people, usually at a publication, who dictate the tone and direction the publication's editorial policy will take.- Board makeup :...
. While an editorial page writer, in 1951 he convinced the paper’s editors to let him write, in his spare time, a monthly column on a topic that at that time seemed arcane––the environment. He also wrote steadily for other areas of the paper, such as the book review and the Sunday magazine, for which he wrote a memorable and devastating profile of Joseph McCarthy
Joseph McCarthy
Joseph Raymond "Joe" McCarthy was an American politician who served as a Republican U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957...
("This Is the Real,the Lasting Damage," March 7, 1954), in an era when to do so was to invite harassment, that became the basis of an 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...
newspaper column and was subsequently widely reprinted.
His career on the editorial board, first as a writer (1949–1961) and then as editorial page editor (1961–1976) spanned the Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Ford administrations, and saw upheaval, renewal, and social revolution in America. As editorial page editor, he appointed the first woman in fifty years (Ada Louise Huxtable
Ada Louise Huxtable
Ada Louise Huxtable is an architecture critic and writer on architecture. In 1970 she was awarded the first ever Pulitzer Prize for Criticism for "distinguished criticism during 1969."...
), and the first African American ever (Roger Wilkins
Roger Wilkins
Roger Wilkins is an African American civil rights leader, professor of history, and journalist.-Biography:Wilkins was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and grew up in Michigan...
), to the editorial board.
Oakes was famously out of step with his more conservative cousin, Arthur Ochs Sulzberger
Arthur Ochs Sulzberger
Arthur Ochs "Punch" Sulzberger, Sr. 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...
, who became publisher in 1963, two years after Oakes' appointment to run the editorial page. Their most noteworthy confrontation occurred in 1976, when the Times had to decide who it would endorse as New York's junior senator in the upcoming Democratic party primary. Sulzberger wanted Daniel Patrick Moynihan
Daniel Patrick Moynihan
Daniel Patrick "Pat" Moynihan was an American politician and sociologist. A member of the Democratic Party, he was first elected to the United States Senate for New York in 1976, and was re-elected three times . He declined to run for re-election in 2000...
, but Oakes preferred Bella Abzug
Bella Abzug
Bella Savitsky Abzug was an American lawyer, Congresswoman, social activist and a leader of the Women's Movement. In 1971, Abzug joined other leading feminists such as Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan to found the National Women's Political Caucus...
. Sulzberger overruled Oakes, but allowed him to write a printed rebuttal. But according to Harrison Salisbury
Harrison Salisbury
Harrison Evans Salisbury , an American Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist , was the first regular New York Times correspondent in Moscow after World War II. He was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota...
, writing in Without Fear or Favor, Sulzberger judged Oakes' response to be too emotional and divisive. Oakes eventually had to content himself with an unprecedented one-sentence dissent, which appeared as a "Letter to the Editor"--essentially a letter to himself—on the Times editorial page on September 11, 1976, and which in its entirety read: "As Editor of the Editorial Page of The Times, I must express disagreement with the endorsement in today's editorial columns of Mr. Moynihan over four other candidates in the New York State Democratic primary contest for the United States Senate." According to the Village Voice article on Oakes' death (May 1, 2001), "the Times was credited with giving Moynihan his one percent margin of victory." Shortly afterward, Sulzberger replaced Oakes as editorial page editor with Max Frankel
Max Frankel
Max Frankel is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist.Frankel came to the United States in 1940. He attended Columbia College and began part-time work for The New York Times in his sophomore year. He received his B.A. degree in 1952 and an M.A. in American government from Columbia in 1953.He joined...
, who described his approach to politics, in contrast to Oakes', as "more fun." Journalist John L. Hess
John L. Hess
John L. Hess was a prominent American investigative journalist who worked for many years at The New York Times. He left the Times in 1978 and wrote a memoir about his years there, My Times: A Memoir of Dissent.- Biography :Hess was born in New York City, and studied history at City College of New...
said on Oakes' death in 2002, that after his departure "the editorials never recovered."
On his retirement from the editorial page, he became a contributing columnist to the op-ed page, writing primarily (through the Reagan, Carter and first Bush administrations) on domestic politics, foreign affairs, human rights, civil liberties, and the environment.
Areas of Focus
In 1961, the year Oakes was appointed editor of the editorial page, Harper and Brothers published his book "The Edge of Freedom: A Report on Neutralism and New Forces in Sub-saharan Africa and Eastern Europe." But his principal areas of concern were human rights and civil liberties, manifested by anti-McCarthyism and consistent support of the civil rights movement; strong and early criticism of the Vietnam WarVietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
(1963), making the Times one of the few papers to take such a stand and leading to personal attacks on him by President Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
, Dean Rusk
Dean Rusk
David Dean Rusk was the United States Secretary of State from 1961 to 1969 under presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. Rusk is the second-longest serving U.S...
and others; and advocacy of conservation and protection of natural resources. In 1966, he was awarded the George Polk Award for bringing to the editorial page "a brilliance, an intensity and a perceptiveness" that made it "the most vital and influential journalistic voice in America."
He was nothing if not persistent. After pushing the idea for ten years with a succession of publishers, he initiated the first modern op-ed
Op-ed
An op-ed, abbreviated from opposite the editorial page , is a newspaper article that expresses the opinions of a named writer who is usually unaffiliated with the newspaper's editorial board...
(so called because it appeared "opposite the editorial page"; the belief that the phrase stands for "opinion"-"editorial" is incorrect) page on September 21, 1970, on which the op-ed page of every other American newspaper is modeled. As he wrote in introducing the page, his basic motive was to provide a window on the ideas and opinions of non-journalists. The appearance of Times columnists on the new op-ed page (limited to one or two per day in the early years) reflected merely the need to create more space for "Letters to the Editor" on the editorial page––as he later wrote, "again in the interests of broadening the opportunity for expression of outside opinion in the Times." In a recent interview, the current op-ed page editor, David Shipley, referred to the page as Oakes' "brainchild."
The John B. Oakes Award for Distinguished Environmental Journalism was established in 1994 by the Natural Resources Defense Council
Natural Resources Defense Council
The Natural Resources Defense Council is a New York City-based, non-profit, non-partisan international environmental advocacy group, with offices in Washington DC, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Beijing...
as an annual prize for print journalists; it is now administered by the Columbia University School of Journalism.
Two weeks before Oakes’ death in 2001 he was awarded a second George Polk Award, for his "lifetime achievements." Wrote Hess, in his obituary, "If people think of the Times today as a great newspaper and a liberal one, it’s largely an illusion, but Oakes believed in it and tried to make it true."
External links
- Slate.com on Oakes' role in creating op-ed page
- Columbia University Oral History Research Offices, John B. Oakes papers
- John B. Oakes Award, Columbia University School of Journalism
- Village Voice article about death of Oakes
- John B. Oakes papers at Wisconsin State Historical Society
- September 2002 obituary in Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society
- George Polk Award citation