William Randolph Hearst, Jr.
Quick Facts
Biography
William Randolph Hearst Jr. (January 27, 1908 – May 14, 1993) was an American businessman and newspaper publisher. He was the second son of the publisher William Randolph Hearst. He became editor-in-chief of Hearst Newspapers after the death of his father in 1951. He won a Pulitzer Prize for his interview with Soviet premier, Nikita Khrushchev, and associated commentaries in 1955.
Hearst attended the University of California, Berkeley and was a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity, he later graduated from Stanford University.
Hearst was instrumental in restoring some measure of family control to the Hearst Corporation, which under his father's will is (and will continue to be while any grandchild alive at William Randolph Hearst Sr.'s death in 1951 is still living) controlled by a board of thirteen trustees, five from the Hearst family and eight Hearst executives. When tax laws changed to prevent the foundations his father had established from continuing to own the corporation, he arranged for the family trust (with the same trustees) to buy the shares and for longtime chief executive Richard E. Berlin, who was going senile, to be eased out to become chairman of the trustees for a period. Later, William Randolph Hearst Jr. himself headed the trust and served as chairman of the executive committee of the corporation. Today, his branch of the family is represented on the trustees by his son, William Randolph Hearst III.
Hearst was a member of the Sons of the American Revolution. He makes a brief appearance in the musical adaptation of Newsies as Bill.
Hearst was married 3 times. His wives were:
Alma Virginia Walker (Dec. 20, 1906 in Minneapolis Minnesota - Mar. 24, 1972 in Monterey, California) They were married from 1929 until their divorce in 1933.
Lorelle McCarver (Sep. 20, 1911 in Cincinnati, Ohio - Dec. 14, 1999 in Weston, Connecticut) They were married from 1933 until their divorce in 1944.
Austine Byrne McDonnell (Jan. 28, 1920 in Boston, Massachusetts - Dec. 15, 1991 in New York City) They were married from 1948 until her death in 1991. They had two sons, William Randolph Hearst III (1949-) and John Augustine Hearst (1952-).
