Name Joseph Jr. | Role Publisher | |
Died May 26, 1993, St. Louis, Missouri, United States Education Harvard University, St. Mark\'s School Awards Pulitzer Prize Special Citations and Awards | ||
Joseph Pulitzer III (May 13, 1913 – May 26, 1993) grandson of the famous newsman Joseph Pulitzer, was himself publisher of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for 38 years and one of the most famous newsmen of the day. For 31 years he chaired the board which was responsible for awarding the Pulitzer Prize, and from 1955 -1993 he was chairman of the Pulitzer Publishing Company.
Born in Saint Louis, Missouri, he was a graduate of the St. Mark's School and Harvard University, Joseph Pulitzer III ran the St. Louis Post-Dispatch through the social and political challenges of the 20th century while holding fast to the liberal vision set out by his grandfather in 1907. His paper was among the first to oppose war in Vietnam.
He also served as chairman of the Pulitzer Prize Board at Columbia University for thirty-one years. The board, which had been established by his grandfather, was responsible for awarding the coveted annual prizes in journalism, letters, and music.
In addition to his reputation as a newsman, Pulitzer was also known for his collection of contemporary art, regarded as one of the largest and finest in the world. In 2008, his second wife, Emily Rauh Pulitzer, gave a gift of 31 major works of modern and contemporary art and $45 million to the Harvard Art Museum. In announcing the gift, the museum also announced that between 1953 and 2005 it had received gifts of 43 other modern and contemporary works from Pulitzer and his first wife, Louise Vauclain Pulitzer, who died in 1968, and from Pulitzer and his second wife.
Pulitzer died at his home in the Central West End of St. Louis from colon cancer. He was 80.