Whitelaw Reid (journalist)
Encyclopedia
Whitelaw Reid was an American
journalist who later served as editor, president and chairman of the family-owned New York Herald Tribune
. An avid sportsman throughout his life, he won a national singles title in his age group at age 85 and a national doubles title at age 90, both in tennis
.
and Ogden Mills Reid at the family estate, Ophir Hall, in Purchase
, New York
, on July 26, 1913. He was given the name of his grandfather Whitelaw Reid
, who published the newspaper and also served as United States Ambassador to both France
and the United Kingdom
, as well as being the Republican vice presidential nominee with incumbent President Benjamin Harrison
in 1892 (lost).
His early education was at the Lincoln School, New York City
, New York, and at the St. Paul's School
, Concord
, New Hampshire
. He later attended Yale University
, New Haven, Connecticut
, where he was awarded a degree in sociology
in 1936. While in college, he sailed a schooner
across the Atlantic Ocean
from Norway
to the U.S. with a group of his fellow students and was a member of the Conservative Party of the Yale Political Union.
, Henrietta
, New York, and learning the operation of the firm's Mergenthaler Linotype machine
s. By 1940 he was a reporter, and spent time in the United Kingdom
reporting on World War II
during The Blitz
and filing reports based on flying with the U.K. Royal Air Force
in missions over Europe
and on a trawler
in the English Channel
monitoring for Nazi
actions.
He served in the U.S. Navy
, commissioned in 1941 as a pilot
, spending most of the war transporting Navy planes in the U.S. He was sent to the Pacific Theater
in 1945, where his squadron based on Iwo Jima
, Japan
, performed survey missions off the coast of Japan.
After completing his military service in 1946, Reid returned to the paper as assistant to the editor, and was named editor and vice president after his father's death the following year. He was named editor and president in 1953, and assumed the title of chairman in April 1955, succeeding his mother, at the same time his brother Ogden R. Reid
was named as publisher.
Reid's leadership of the paper saw circulation increase, while journalistic standards declined. A paper that The New York Times
described as "a newspaperman's newspaper" staffed by talented reporters, resorted to puzzles and gimmicks to draw readers. Ambassador and investor John Hay Whitney
bought the parent company from the Reid family in 1958, but a redesign and new reporters failed to revive the paper, which succumbed to the effects of strikes and other difficulties which ended in 1967 when what had become the New York World Journal Tribune
ceased publication in 1967. The suspension of publication by the World Journal Tribune on May 5, 1967, left New York City with three major daily newspapers — the Daily News, the New York Post
and The New York Times — the same papers that have served the city for the succeeding decades.
While with the Herald Tribune, Reid was the president of The Fresh Air Fund
, a fundraising effort run through the paper that helped provide summer vacations for underprivileged children living in New York City. After the paper's demise, the program was carried on by The New York Times.
Following the closure of the paper, he established Reid Enterprises, serving until 1975 as its president.
, Nevada
, in September 1959. The two had been married in 1948 and had had two children, Brandon and Carson.
An avid tennis player for most of his life, Reid won the national indoor singles championship in 1998 for competitors age 85 and older, earning the fourth spot in nationwide rankings in his age group. In September 2003, together with David Carey, he won the United States Tennis Association
's national clay-court doubles championship for men over age 90. During his life, Reid had been a pilot, yachtsman, skier, swimmer and rode horses, in addition to his lifelong passion for playing tennis.
A resident of Bedford Hills
, New York, Reid died at age 95 on April 18, 2009 at the White Plains Hospital Center, White Plains
, New York, from complications resulting from lung
and heart failure. He was survived by his second wife, the former Elizabeth Ann Brooks, whom he married in 1959. In addition to the two children from his first marriage, he was survived by the two children from his second marriage, John Graham and Gina Rogers, and by 11 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Ophir Hall, the family's estate, is now the site of Manhattanville College
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
journalist who later served as editor, president and chairman of the family-owned New York Herald Tribune
New York Herald Tribune
The New York Herald Tribune was a daily newspaper created in 1924 when the New York Tribune acquired the New York Herald.Other predecessors, which had earlier merged into the New York Tribune, included the original The New Yorker newsweekly , and the Whig Party's Log Cabin.The paper was home to...
. An avid sportsman throughout his life, he won a national singles title in his age group at age 85 and a national doubles title at age 90, both in tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
.
Early life
Reid was born to Helen Rogers ReidHelen Rogers Reid
Helen Rogers Reid was an American newspaper publisher. She was president of the New York Herald Tribune.- References :...
and Ogden Mills Reid at the family estate, Ophir Hall, in Purchase
Purchase, New York
Purchase, New York is a hamlet of the town of Harrison, in Westchester County. Its ZIP code is 10577. Its name is derived from Harrison's purchase, for Harrison could have as much land as he could ride in one day...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, on July 26, 1913. He was given the name of his grandfather Whitelaw Reid
Whitelaw Reid
Whitelaw Reid was a U.S. politician and newspaper editor, as well as the author of a popular history of Ohio in the Civil War.-Early life:...
, who published the newspaper and also served as United States Ambassador to both France
United States Ambassador to France
This article is about the United States Ambassador to France. There has been a United States Ambassador to France since the American Revolution. The United States sent its first envoys to France in 1776, towards the end of the four-centuries-old Bourbon dynasty...
and the United Kingdom
United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom
The office of United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom was traditionally, and still is very much so today due to the Special Relationship, the most prestigious position in the United States Foreign Service...
, as well as being the Republican vice presidential nominee with incumbent President Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison was the 23rd President of the United States . Harrison, a grandson of President William Henry Harrison, was born in North Bend, Ohio, and moved to Indianapolis, Indiana at age 21, eventually becoming a prominent politician there...
in 1892 (lost).
His early education was at the Lincoln School, New York City
New 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...
, New York, and at the St. Paul's School
St. Paul's School (Concord, New Hampshire)
St. Paul's School is a highly selective college-preparatory, coeducational boarding school in Concord, New Hampshire affiliated with the Episcopal Church. The school is one of only six remaining 100% residential boarding schools in the U.S. The New Hampshire campus currently serves 533 students,...
, Concord
Concord, New Hampshire
The city of Concord is the capital of the state of New Hampshire in the United States. It is also the county seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2010 census, its population was 42,695....
, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
. He later attended 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...
, New Haven, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, where he was awarded a degree in sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
in 1936. While in college, he sailed a schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
across the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
from Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
to the U.S. with a group of his fellow students and was a member of the Conservative Party of the Yale Political Union.
Career
He joined his father's newspaper, the New York Herald Tribune, in 1938, working in the mechanical department, after being trained in printing at the Rochester Institute of TechnologyRochester Institute of Technology
The Rochester Institute of Technology is a private university, located within the town of Henrietta in metropolitan Rochester, New York, United States...
, Henrietta
Henrietta, New York
Henrietta is a town in Monroe County, New York, United States. It is a suburb of Rochester. The population was 42,581 at the 2010 census. Established in 1818, the town is named after Henrietta Laura Pulteney, Countess of Bath, daughter of Sir William Pulteney, 5th Baronet, a major British...
, New York, and learning the operation of the firm's Mergenthaler Linotype machine
Linotype machine
The Linotype typesetting machine is a "line casting" machine used in printing. The name of the machine comes from the fact that it produces an entire line of metal type at once, hence a line-o'-type, a significant improvement over manual typesetting....
s. By 1940 he was a reporter, and spent time in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
reporting on World War II
World 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...
during The Blitz
The Blitz
The Blitz was the sustained strategic bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, during the Second World War. The city of London was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 76 consecutive nights and many towns and cities across the country followed...
and filing reports based on flying with the U.K. Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
in missions over Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and on a trawler
Naval trawler
A naval trawler is a vessel built along the lines of a fishing trawler but fitted out for naval purposes. Naval trawlers were widely used during the First and Second world wars. Fishing trawlers were particularly suited for many naval requirements because they were robust boats designed to work...
in 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...
monitoring for Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
actions.
He served in the U.S. Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, commissioned in 1941 as a pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
, spending most of the war transporting Navy planes in the U.S. He was sent to the Pacific Theater
Pacific Ocean theater of World War II
The Pacific Ocean theatre was one of four major naval theatres of war of World War II, which pitted the forces of Japan against those of the United States, the British Commonwealth, the Netherlands and France....
in 1945, where his squadron based on Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, performed survey missions off the coast of Japan.
After completing his military service in 1946, Reid returned to the paper as assistant to the editor, and was named editor and vice president after his father's death the following year. He was named editor and president in 1953, and assumed the title of chairman in April 1955, succeeding his mother, at the same time his brother Ogden R. Reid
Ogden R. Reid
Ogden Rogers Reid is a former United States Representative from New York.Reid was born in New York, New York and he graduated from Deerfield Academy and Yale University. He was widely known by his nickname, "Brownie." His family owned the New York Herald Tribune and, before that the New York...
was named as publisher.
Reid's leadership of the paper saw circulation increase, while journalistic standards declined. A paper that 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...
described as "a newspaperman's newspaper" staffed by talented reporters, resorted to puzzles and gimmicks to draw readers. Ambassador and investor John Hay Whitney
John Hay Whitney
John Hay Whitney , colloquially known as "Jock" Whitney, was U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, publisher of the New York Herald Tribune, and a member of the Whitney family.-Family:...
bought the parent company from the Reid family in 1958, but a redesign and new reporters failed to revive the paper, which succumbed to the effects of strikes and other difficulties which ended in 1967 when what had become the New York World Journal Tribune
New York World Journal Tribune
The New York World Journal Tribune, also known as the World-Journal-Tribune, was a newspaper published in New York City from September 1966 until May 1967...
ceased publication in 1967. The suspension of publication by the World Journal Tribune on May 5, 1967, left New York City with three major daily newspapers — the Daily News, the New York Post
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...
and The New York Times — the same papers that have served the city for the succeeding decades.
While with the Herald Tribune, Reid was the president of The Fresh Air Fund
Fresh Air Fund
The Fresh Air Fund is a not-for-profit agency that provides free summer vacations in the country to New York City children from disadvantaged communities. Each year, thousands of children visit volunteer host families in 13 states from Virginia to Maine and Canada through the Friendly Town...
, a fundraising effort run through the paper that helped provide summer vacations for underprivileged children living in New York City. After the paper's demise, the program was carried on by The New York Times.
Following the closure of the paper, he established Reid Enterprises, serving until 1975 as its president.
Personal
His first marriage, to the former Joan Brandon, ended with their divorce in RenoReno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, in September 1959. The two had been married in 1948 and had had two children, Brandon and Carson.
An avid tennis player for most of his life, Reid won the national indoor singles championship in 1998 for competitors age 85 and older, earning the fourth spot in nationwide rankings in his age group. In September 2003, together with David Carey, he won the United States Tennis Association
United States Tennis Association
The United States Tennis Association is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the United States. A not-for-profit organization with more than 700,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds to promote and develop the growth of tennis, from the grass-roots to the professional levels...
's national clay-court doubles championship for men over age 90. During his life, Reid had been a pilot, yachtsman, skier, swimmer and rode horses, in addition to his lifelong passion for playing tennis.
A resident of Bedford Hills
Bedford Hills, New York
Bedford Hills is an unincorporated hamlet in the Town of Bedford, New York.-History:When the railroad was built in 1847, Bedford Hills was known as Bedford Station. Bedford Hills extends from a business center at the railroad station to farms and estates, eastward along Harris, Babbitt and Bedford...
, New York, Reid died at age 95 on April 18, 2009 at the White Plains Hospital Center, White Plains
White Plains, New York
White Plains is a city and the county seat of Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located in south-central Westchester, about east of the Hudson River and northwest of Long Island Sound...
, New York, from complications resulting from lung
Respiratory failure
The term respiratory failure, in medicine, is used to describe inadequate gas exchange by the respiratory system, with the result that arterial oxygen and/or carbon dioxide levels cannot be maintained within their normal ranges. A drop in blood oxygenation is known as hypoxemia; a rise in arterial...
and heart failure. He was survived by his second wife, the former Elizabeth Ann Brooks, whom he married in 1959. In addition to the two children from his first marriage, he was survived by the two children from his second marriage, John Graham and Gina Rogers, and by 11 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Ophir Hall, the family's estate, is now the site of Manhattanville College
Manhattanville College
Manhattanville College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college offering undergraduate and graduate degrees, located in Purchase, New York. Founded in 1841 it was known initially as Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart...
.