William Randolph Hearst: The Early Years, 1863-1910

William Randolph Hearst #1

by Ben Procter

William Randolph Hearst was one of the most colorful and important figures of turn-of-the-century America, a man who changed the face of American journalism and whose influence extends to the present day. Now, in William Randolph Hearst , Ben Procter gives us the most authoritative account of Hearst's extraordinary career in newspapers and politics.
Born to great wealth--his father was a partial owner of four fabulously rich mines--Hearst began his career in his early twenties by revitalizing a rundown newspaper, the San Franciso Examiner . Hearst took what had been a relatively sedate form of communicating information and essentially created the modern tabloid, complete with outrageous headlines, human interest stories, star columnists, comic strips, wide photo coverage, and crusading zeal. His papers fairly bristled with life. By 1910 he had built a newspaper empire--eight papers and two magazines read by nearly three million people. Hearst did much to create "yellow journalism"--with the emphasis on sensationalism and the lowering of journalistic standards. But Procter shows that Hearst's papers were also challenging and innovative and They exposed corruption, advocated progressive reforms, strongly supported recent immigrants, became a force in the Democratic Party, and helped ignite the Spanish-American War. Procter
vividly depicts Hearst's own political career from his 1902 election to Congress to his presidential campaign in 1904 and his bitter defeats in New York's Mayoral and Gubernatorial races.
Written with a broad narrative sweep and based on previously unavailable letters and manuscripts, William Randoph Hearst illuminates the character and era of the man who left an indelible mark on American journalism.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction

384 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Ben Hamill Procter was a historian at Texas Christian University, where he retired as the Cecil and Ida Green Emeritus Chair in the History Department. He served as president of the Texas State Historical Association from 1979 until 1980. Prior to becoming a history professor he played football with the Los Angeles Rams.

Reviews

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

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I am hungry for the second volume of this biography. The Hearst I encountered in the first volume was generous, a seeker of social justice, politically ambitious (he was certain he would become President of The United States!) and was an unexpectedly liberal progressive! Procter's portrait did violence to what I "knew" to be "true" about the man. What happened? This is a well-written and decidedly readable book…I urge you to read it.
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[Claw Machine · Rating 4 out of 5]

An immensely readable and enjoyable look at one of the late 19th-early 20th centuries' biggest figures, Procter has put together a hugely enjoyable biography that I found to illuminate both Hearst and his world very well. Hearst in this volume is a larger than life figure-a scion of privilege who must always build more and must build it himself, he spends money endlessly, drowns in the pleasures of life, and will do anything for his next score. What I found most compelling was how surprisingly politically consistent Hearst was. An early progressive, Hearst threw himself behind every crusade, whether it be the push for war with Spain, municipal ownership of public utilities, pushing against corruption, or what have you. Hearst is a real rogue in many ways but he's a consistent one, pushing for reform as a major progressive, and that's a very interesting dynamic. Oftentimes today we don't see real progressive billionaires, larger than life, pushing for change. The closest analogue is perhaps Trump, but I am loath to draw an analogy between the two (it's one of my less poorly thought out ideas). Reading about a kind of man who I doubt really exists anymore is quite the treat.

Where I think Procter fails perhaps is that he is too resistant to truly condemn Hearst. He puts in negative anecdotes and talks about the failures of Hearst's style of yellow journalism and the compromises he makes with Tammany, but it never really feels like a coherent picture. They feel more like outgrowths of Hearst's excitement or "necessary compromises," rather than major negative historical trends that Hearst was a part of and helped fuel. A better look at Hearst's yellow journalism and the real impact it had on the media market would have been much more enriching I think, and really getting into Hearst's political failings both as a congressman and as a candidate when he starts to make shady deals in order to become a true reformer would have served the reader well.

Still, this is an enjoyable biography and by the end of it I truly felt like I knew Hearst somewhat well, like I could figure out what made this man of boundless energy tick. I am excited to read the second volume and find out why and how he turned totally evil later in life, and if I ever do I'll maybe remember to update this review to see how the two volumes blend together.

[Lissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to learn more about Hearst, and the book provided good background, but it was not an engaging read for me.

[Janette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, easy read.

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

The set up of young William's heir to a fortunate and wonderful life. Read this after visiting the Hearst Castle in CA.