Tom Sellers
Encyclopedia
Thomas J. Sellers, Jr. was a newspaper reporter for the Columbus Ledger
and Sunday Ledger-Enquirer
in Columbus, Georgia
who won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service
in 1955 for exposing a corrupt government in Phenix City, Alabama
.
Sellers was raised in Alabama
, attending Lee County High School in Auburn, Alabama
. Sellers' first newspaper jobs were in the 1940s with the Associated Press
and the Montgomery Advertiser
. In 1950, he joined the staff of the Columbus Ledger, where he was assigned the Phenix City beat, covering news of Phenix City
, a suburb of Columbus across the Chattahoochee River
in Alabama.
Phenix City had long been controlled by a corrupt city government tied to gambling interests. Starting in 1950, Sellers reported on the Phenix City government, collecting evidence of corruption and reporting it in the Ledger. In 1952, Sellers was attacked while covering a contested city election. By 1954, the evidence collected in Sellers articles led a Phenix City lawyer, Albert Patterson
, to run for Alabama attorney general on a platform of cleaning up Phenix City. When Patterson won the election, the local sheriff, acting under orders of the mayor of Phenix City, assassinated the attorney general-elect. Sellers continued to report on the city leaders' actions and attempts to stonewall the investigation, finally leading to Governor Gordon Persons
declaring "martial rule", a modified form of martial law
, in the city. Sellers and his staff created an "Extra" edition of the Ledger and were the first to report on the events from Phenix City. Sellers later reported as the military forces of the Alabama National Guard dismantled the gambling establishment and city government.
For his work covering this corruption in Phenix City, Sellers and the Ledger received the 1955 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service
, for
Sellers remained at the Ledger until 1968, when he left to become a science editor and information officer at Emory University
. In 1986, he compiled the front-page newspaper columns he wrote between 1958 and 1968 into a book, Valley Echoes (ISBN 0-9370-8903-6). Sellers died of a heart attack on February 18, 2006, at his home in Atlanta Georgia.
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
The Ledger-Enquirer is a McClatchy newspaper headquartered in Downtown Columbus, Georgia, in the United States. It was founded in 1828 as the Columbus Enquirer by Mirabeau B. Lamar, who later played a pivotal role in the founding of the Republic of Texas and served as its third President...
and Sunday Ledger-Enquirer
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
The Ledger-Enquirer is a McClatchy newspaper headquartered in Downtown Columbus, Georgia, in the United States. It was founded in 1828 as the Columbus Enquirer by Mirabeau B. Lamar, who later played a pivotal role in the founding of the Republic of Texas and served as its third President...
in Columbus, Georgia
Columbus, Georgia
Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Muscogee County, Georgia, United States, with which it is consolidated. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 189,885. It is the principal city of the Columbus, Georgia metropolitan area, which, in 2009, had an estimated population of 292,795...
who won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service
Pulitzer Prize for Public Service
The Pulitzer Prize for Public Service has been awarded since 1918 for a distinguished example of meritorious public service by a newspaper or news site through the use of its journalistic resources. Those resources, as well as reporting, may include editorials, cartoons, photographs, graphics,...
in 1955 for exposing a corrupt government in Phenix City, Alabama
Phenix City, Alabama
Phenix City is a city and the county seat in Russell County in the U.S. state of Alabama. Portions of Lee County are addressed as Phenix City, 36870 ZIP code, for the sole purpose that Smiths Station does not have full incorporation to annex the area...
.
Sellers was raised in Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, attending Lee County High School in Auburn, Alabama
Auburn, Alabama
Auburn is a city in Lee County, Alabama, United States. It is the largest city in eastern Alabama with a 2010 population of 53,380. It is a principal city of the Auburn-Opelika Metropolitan Area...
. Sellers' first newspaper jobs were in the 1940s 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...
and the Montgomery Advertiser
Montgomery Advertiser
The Montgomery Advertiser is a daily newspaper located in Montgomery, Alabama. It was founded in 1829.- History:The newspaper began publication in 1829 as The Planter's Gazette. It became the Montgomery Advertiser in 1833. In 1903, R.F. Hudson, a young Alabama newspaperman, joined the staff of the...
. In 1950, he joined the staff of the Columbus Ledger, where he was assigned the Phenix City beat, covering news of Phenix City
Phenix City, Alabama
Phenix City is a city and the county seat in Russell County in the U.S. state of Alabama. Portions of Lee County are addressed as Phenix City, 36870 ZIP code, for the sole purpose that Smiths Station does not have full incorporation to annex the area...
, a suburb of Columbus across the Chattahoochee River
Chattahoochee River
The Chattahoochee River flows through or along the borders of the U.S. states of Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. It is a tributary of the Apalachicola River, a relatively short river formed by the confluence of the Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers and emptying into Apalachicola Bay in the Gulf of...
in Alabama.
Phenix City had long been controlled by a corrupt city government tied to gambling interests. Starting in 1950, Sellers reported on the Phenix City government, collecting evidence of corruption and reporting it in the Ledger. In 1952, Sellers was attacked while covering a contested city election. By 1954, the evidence collected in Sellers articles led a Phenix City lawyer, Albert Patterson
Albert Patterson
Albert Patterson was an attorney in Phenix City, Ala. He was assassinated outside of his law office shortly after he won the Democratic nomination for Alabama Attorney General on a platform of reforming the rife corruption and vice in Phenix City.-Personal life:Patterson was born in the New Site...
, to run for Alabama attorney general on a platform of cleaning up Phenix City. When Patterson won the election, the local sheriff, acting under orders of the mayor of Phenix City, assassinated the attorney general-elect. Sellers continued to report on the city leaders' actions and attempts to stonewall the investigation, finally leading to Governor Gordon Persons
Gordon Persons
Seth Gordon Persons was an American Democratic politician who was the 43rd Governor of Alabama from 1951 to 1955. He was born and died in Montgomery, Alabama. The Dauphin Island Bridge south of Mobile is formally named for him.Persons was an alumnus of Auburn University.-External links:*...
declaring "martial rule", a modified form of martial law
Martial law
Martial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis— only temporary—when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively , when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the law...
, in the city. Sellers and his staff created an "Extra" edition of the Ledger and were the first to report on the events from Phenix City. Sellers later reported as the military forces of the Alabama National Guard dismantled the gambling establishment and city government.
For his work covering this corruption in Phenix City, Sellers and the Ledger received the 1955 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service
Pulitzer Prize for Public Service
The Pulitzer Prize for Public Service has been awarded since 1918 for a distinguished example of meritorious public service by a newspaper or news site through the use of its journalistic resources. Those resources, as well as reporting, may include editorials, cartoons, photographs, graphics,...
, for
Sellers remained at the Ledger until 1968, when he left to become a science editor and information officer at Emory University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
. In 1986, he compiled the front-page newspaper columns he wrote between 1958 and 1968 into a book, Valley Echoes (ISBN 0-9370-8903-6). Sellers died of a heart attack on February 18, 2006, at his home in Atlanta Georgia.