Lippmann, Walter, 1889-1974

American journalist and author.

Lippmann was an American journalist and author.

Journalist, author.

Walter Lippmann was born in New York City on September 23, 1889. Following graduation from Harvard College in 1910, he began his career as a reporter, author, and political commentator. He served on the first editorial board of the New Republic and was secretary to The Inquiry, a group of experts assembled at the request of Woodrow Wilson to collect data in preparation for a peace conference following World War I. Lippmann was editor of the New York World from 1922-1931. In 1931, he began a column for the New York Herald Tribune, "Today and Tomorrow," which would later be syndicated nationally and which continued until 1967. Lippmann was the author of numerous books of political commentary and philosophy. He died on December 14, 1974, in New York City.

American editor and author.

BIOGHIST REQUIRED Journalist, author.

Editor, author.

Walter Lippmann was born in New York City on September 23, 1889. Following graduation from Harvard College in 1910, he began his career as a reporter, author, and political commentator. He served on the first editorial board of the New Republic and was secretary to The Inquiry, a group of experts assembled at the request of Woodrow Wilson to collect data in preparation for a peace conference following World War I. Lippmann was editor of the New York World from 1922-1931. In 1931, he began a column for the New York Herald Tribune, "Today and Tomorrow," which would later be syndicated nationally and which continued until 1967. Lippmann was the author of numerous books of political commentary and philosophy. He died on December 14, 1974 in New York City.

Chronology

1889 Sep 23

Born in New York City, residence on Lexington Avenue between 61st and 62nd Street. Son of Jacob and Daisy (Baum). Father a clothing manufacturer and real estate broker, and mother a Hunter College graduate.

1896 May 16

First of more than forty Atlantic crossings, R.M.S. Etruria . "Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Lippmann and maid; Master Walter Lippmann." (From the passenger list)

1896 Sep

Entered Sachs Collegiate Institute, 38 West 59th Street, New York City.

1903 Feb

Wrote first editorial (age 13) for school paper, the Record, as editor-in-chief.

1903 Apr 25

Awarded the Arnold B. Horwitz Prize "for faithful devotion to school duties and for general excellence." (Ten volume Fiske history)

1904 May 20

Confirmed as a member of Temple Emmanu-El.

1904 May 22

Awarded the Lewis May Pin and Meda, Temple Emmanu-El.

1906 Apr 28

Awarded the Arnold B. Horwitz Prize for faithful devotion to school duties and for general excellence. (Six volume Robert Browning)

1906 Jun

Graduated from Sachs Collegiate Institute. Awarded the Arnold B. Horwitz Prize for academic achievement. Had been a member of the debating, football, hockey, and tennis teams.

1906 Sep

Entered Harvard College. Lived at 12 Weld Hall.

1907 Dec

One of the winners of the Harvard College prize for academic distinction.

1908 Jan 9

Elected to the Circolo Italiano Society.

1908 Oct

Taught evening classes at the Cambridge Social Union as an instructor in Fine Arts.

1908 Dec

One of the winners of the Harvard College prize for academic distinction. Active in Harvard Chapter, Intercollegiate Socialist Society.

1909

Elected to the Cosmopolitan Club. Member of the Debating, Philosophical, and Political Clubs. Joined the Harvard Socialist Club and later became president.

Active in Harvard Chapter, Intercollegiate Socialist Society, attending conventions and organizing chapters at other colleges.

One of the winners of the Deturs prize "Pro Insigni Studiis Diligentia," and the John Harvard prize.

1909 June 30

Completed requirements for A.B. degree (three years), Cum Laude. Phi Beta Kappa, Alpha Chapter of Massachusetts.

1910

Assistant to Prof. George Santayana, Department of Philosophy, teaching history of philosophy. Also studied for Master's degree. Active in Harvard Chapter, Intercollegiate Socialist Society.

1910 Apr

Elected to Board of Editors, the Harvard Monthly .

1910 May

Within three weeks of earning Master's degree, dropped studies, left Harvard, and was hired as a reporter on the Boston Common (newspaper) by his first employer and future father-in-law, Ralph Albertson.

1910 Jun

Took A.B. degree with the Class of 1910.

Engaged by Lincoln Steffens for Everybody's Magazine .

1911 Apr 1

Elected to Executive Committee, Intercollegiate Socialist Society.

Regular contributor to the International Magazine through 1912.

1912 Jan 1

Appointed Executive Secretary to the Rev. George R. Lunn, Socialist Mayor of Schenectady, New York. Resigned four months later.

Wrote articles for the Intercollegiate Socialist Society publication.

1913

Joined the Socialist Party, New York County, and the Socialist Press Club of New York City.

First book, A Preface to Politics, published by Mitchell Kennerley.

Invited by Herbert Croly to become one of the six members of the editorial board of a new weekly, the New Republic . The six members were Herbert Croly, Francis Hackett, Walter Lippmann, Philip Littell, Charlotte Rudyard, and Walter Weyl.

1914 Nov 7

First issue of the New Republic .

Book, Drift and Mastery, published by Mitchell Kennerley.

1915

Book, The Stakes of Diplomacy, published by Henry Holt and Company.

Wrote series "Today and Tomorrow" for Metropolitan magazine.

1917 May 24

Married Faye Albertson, daughter of Ralph and Irene (Mulford) Albertson. Ceremony performed by the Hon. William H. Wadhams, Judge of the Court of General Sessions and City Magistrate of the City of New York.

1917 Jul 18

Appointed assistant to Newton D. Baker, Secretary of War. Served on the Cantonment Adjustment Commission with Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Assistant Secretary of the Navy.

1917 Sep 24

Invited by Colonel House to become secretary of "The Inquiry," a secret organization created by order of President Wilson to prepare data for the Paris Peace Conference.

1918 Jun 28

Commissioned Captain, Military Intelligence, and assigned to the staff of General Pershing and sent to France. Prepared propaganda leaflets for dropping behind the German lines and interrogated prisoners.

1918 Jul 3

Assigned to staff of Colonel House and to the American Mission to Negotiate Peace. Interpreted President Wilson's Fourteen Points to the British and the Italians.

1919 Jan 23

Resigned. Sailed for home on the S. S. Cedric .

1919 Feb 3

Honorably discharged from the U.S. Army.

Book, The Political Scene, an essay on the victory of 1918, published by Henry Holt and Company.

1920

Regular contributor to Vanity Fair magazine.

Book, Liberty and the News, published by Harcourt, Brace and Howe.

1922 Jan 1

Joined the editorial staff of the New York World in the capacity of editorial and special writer.

Book, Public Opinion, published by Harcourt, Brace and Company.

1924 Mar 10

Became chief editorial writer in charge of the editorial page of the New York World following the death of Frank I. Cobb in the fall of 1923.

1925 Jan 12

Gave the Bloch Foundation lecture at Yale University.

Book, The Phantom Public, published by Harcourt, Brace and Company.

1926 Jun 4

First honorary degree, LL.D., conferred by Wake Forest College.

1927 Apr

Appointed to National Panel of Arbitrators by the American Arbitration Association.

1927 Aug

Death of father, Jacob.

Book, Men of Destiny, published by the MacMillan Company.

1928

Book, American Inquisitors: A Commentary on Dayton and Chicago, published by the MacMillan Company. Lectures delivered at the University of Virginia for the Barbour-Page Foundation.

1929

Named editor of the New York World.

Appointed to Committee to Visit the Department of Government at Harvard. Served through 1961.

Book, A Preface to Morals, published by the MacMillan Company, A Book-of-the-Month Club selection.

1930

Appointed to Committee to Visit Harvard College. Served through 1936.

1931 Feb 25

Last issue of the New York World . Sold to the Scripps-Howard chain by the heirs of Joseph Pulitzer.

1931 Sep 8

First "Today and Tomorrow" column for the New York Herald Tribune .

1932

Book, U. S. in World Affairs: 1931, published by Harper and Brothers. Written in collaboration with William O. Scroggs.

Book, Interpretations: 1931-1932, published by the MacMillan Company. "Today and Tomorrow" columns selected and edited by Allan Nevins.

1932-1935

Regular contributor to the American magazine.

1933 Jun 22

Elected to the Board of Overseers, Harvard University, for a six-year term.

Appointed to Committee to Visit the Department of Economics at Harvard. Served through 1937.

Book, U. S. in World Affairs: 1932, publishedby Harper and Brothers.

1934 May

Delivered the Godkin lectures at Harvard.

Appointed to Committee to Visit the Department of Philosophy at Harvard. Served through 1957.

1934 (cont'd)

Book, The Method of Freedom, published by the MacMillan Company. Godkin lectures delivered at Harvard.

Book, U. S. in World Affairs: 1933, edited with an introduction, published by Harper and Brothers.

1936

Book, Interpretations: 1933-1935, published by the MacMillan Company. "Today and Tomorrow" columns selected and edited by Allan Nevins.

1936-1937

Regular contributor to the Atlantic .

1937 Dec 9

Divorce decree from his wife Faye, in Bradenton, Florida.

Book, The Good Society, published by Little, Brown and Company.

Book, The Supreme Court: Independent Or Controlled?, published by Harper and Brothers. Reprinted "Today and Tomorrow" columns.

1938 Feb 16-18

Gave series of three lectures at the University of Chicago.

1938 Mar 26

Married Helen Byrne Armstrong. Ceremony performed by the Hon. Charles Poletti, Justice, Supreme Court, State of New York. Moved to Washington, D.C.

1938 Sep 5

Decoration conferred: Officier de l'Ordre National de la Legion d'Honneur.

1939 Mar 7

Gave address on the Charles R. Walgreen Foundation at the University of Chicago.

1940 May 3

Faye Albertson Lippmann married Jesse Heatley.

Book, Some Notes on War and Peace, published by the MacMillan Company. Four reprinted "Today and Tomorrow" columns.

1943

Book, U. S. Foreign Policy: Shield of the Republic, published by Little, Brown and Company.

1944 autumn

Trip to Europe as a war correspondent.

Book, U. S. War Aims, published by Little, Brown and Company.

1945 Jan 26

Gave the Bergen lecture at Yale University.

1946 Apr

Attended the Nuremberg trials, International Tribunal, Palace of Justice.

1946

Appointed to the Committee to Visit the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Harvard.

1947 Feb 1

Elected a member of the American Society of International Law.

1947 Apr 26

Elected a member of the American Philosophical Society.

Book, The Cold War, published by Harper and Brothers. Material appeared as a series of articles in the New York Herald Tribune.

1949 May 11

Elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

1949 Jul 27

Death of mother, Daisy (Mrs. I. M. Stettenheim).

1950 Feb 22

Gave the Newton D. Baker Memorial Lecture, Cleveland, Ohio.

1950 Mar 1

Presented the Knight Cross of First Class of the Order of St. Olaf (Norway).

1951 Jan 22

Death of father-in-law, Ralph Albertson.

1951 Jan 23

Elected a member of Sigma Delta Chi.

1951 Nov 7

Elected a Fellow of the American Geographical Society.

1952 Mar 13

Elected Commandeur, Orde Van Oranje-Nassau (The Netherlands). Upon Walter Lippmann's death in 1974, the medal was returned in accordance with Royal Decree No. 12 of 12 April 1923.

1952 May

Gave Sulgrave Manor Board lecture in England, on the Sir George Watson Chair of American History, Literature and Institutions.

Book, Isolation and Alliances, published by Little, Brown and Company.

1955

Book, The Public Philosophy, published by Little, Brown and Company.

1957 Jan 27

Gave the Gideon D. Seymour Memorial Lecture at the University of Minnesota.

1958 May 5

Awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Comment.

1959 Mar 2

Named Associe de la Section des Sciences Morales et Politiques, Académie Royale des Sciences, des Lettres et des Beaux-Arts de Belgique.

1959 Sep 23

Awarded the National Press Club Certificate of Appreciation in recognition of meritorious service to correspondents of press, radio and television in the nation's capitol.

1959

Elected member of the American Military Institute.

Book, The Communist World and Ours, published by Little, Brown and Company. Reprinted "Today and Tomorrow" articles following his trip to Russia in 1958.

1960 Jul 7

First TV appearance. CBS Reports, "Walter Lippmann on Leadership."

1960 Oct 27

Testimonial of Appreciation and Esteem, Hall of Fame for Great Americans, New York University.

1961 Jun 15

Second TV appearance. CBS Reports, "Walter Lippmann, 1961."

1961 Nov 14

Appointed a member of the Advisory Committee on the Arts, National Cultural Center, by President John F. Kennedy.

1961 Dec 21

Third TV appearance. CBS Reports, "Walter Lippmann, Year End."

Book, The Coming Tests with Russia, published by Little, Brown and Company. Reprinted "Today and Tomorrow" articles following his second trip to Russia in 1961.

1962 Apr l8

George Foster Peabody Broadcasting Award presented to Walter Lippmann and CBS for the program which did most to promote international understanding during 1961.

1932 May 7

Awarded Pulitzer Prize for Distinguished Reporting of International Affairs.

1962 May 16

Appointed a member of the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Commission by President John F. Kennedy.

1962 Jun 7

Fourth TV appearance. CBS Reports, "Walter Lippmann, 1962."

1962 Dec 13

Elected Corresponding Member of the Massachusetts Historical Society.

1963 Jan 1

Changed "Today and Tomorrow" syndicate from the New York Herald Tribune to the Washington Post.

1963 Jan 21

First of the bi-weekly articles for Newsweek .

1963 May 1

Fifth TV appearance. CBS Reports, "Walter Lippmann, 1963."

1964 Apr 8

Sixth TV appearance. CBS Reports, "Walter Lippmann, 1964."

1964 Sep 14

Recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Lyndon B. Johnson.

1965 Feb 22

Final TV appearance. CBS Reports, "Walter Lippmann, 1965."

1965 Mar 1

Addressed the United Nations.

1965 Apr 26

George Foster Peabody Broadcasting Award presented to CBS Reports, with special mention of interview with Walter Lippmann televised on April 8, 1964.

1965 May 27

Addressed the International Press Institute, London.

1965 Dec 22

Named Grand Officier de l'Ordre National du Mérite by French President Charles de Gaulle.

Awarded the National Institute of Arts and Letters Gold Medal for Eminence in Essays and Criticism.

1967 May 25

Final "Today and Tomorrow" article.

1967 May

Moved from Washington, D. C., to 1021 Park Avenue, New York City.

1968 Dec 1

Moved to The Lowell, 26 East 63rd Street, New York City.

1971 Jan 11

Final article for Newsweek .

1971 Jun 11

Elected a Charter Member of the Washington Hall of Fame, Sigma Delta Chi.

1974 Feb 16

Helen Byrne Lippmann died at The Lowell.

1974 Apr 18

Death of Faye Albertson's second husband, Jesse Heatley.

1974 Dec 14

Walter Lippmann died at the Mary James Nursing Home, 755 Park Avenue, New York City,

at approximately 7:00 A.M.

1974 Dec 18

Memorial service at the Ford Foundation, 320 East 43rd Street, New York City.

1975 Jan 8

Memorial service at the Washington Cathedral, Washington, D. C.

1975 Mar 17

Death of Faye Albertson Lippmann Heatley.

Degrees

1. Harvard 1910 B.A.

2. Wake Forest College 1926 LL.D.

3. University of Wisconsin 1927 LL.D.

4. Columbia University 1932 LITT.D.

5. Dartmouth College 1932 LITT.D.

6. University of California 1933 LL.D.

7. Union College 1933 LL.D. Honorary Chancellor

6. Wesleyan University 1934 LL.D.

9. Oglethorpe University 1934 LITT.D.

10. University of Michigan 1934 LL.D.

11. George Washington University 1935 LL.D.

12. Amherst College 1935 LL.D.

13. University of Rochester 1936 LL.D.

14. College of William and Mary 1937 LL.D.

15. Drake University 1937 LL.D.

16. Harvard University 1944 LITT.D.

17. University of Chicago 1955 LL.D.

18. New School for Social Research 1959 LITT.D.

19. College of the Holy Cross 1962 LL.D.

20. Boston University 1964 LL.D.

21. Brandeis University 1968 LL.D.

22. University of York (England) 1969 Doctor of the University. First American to be awarded an honorary degree.

23. Princeton 1970 LL.D

Honors and Awards - Medals

1903 Sachs' School Tennis

1904 Lewis May Pin, Temple Emmanu-El

1909 Phi Beta Kappa Key, Harvard

1909 Harvard Crimson

1917 British and French War Commission

1917 Belgian War Mission

1934 American Academy of Arts and Letters

1936 Harvard Tercentenary

(1940s) Assistance to General Charles De Gaulle

1946 Princeton University Bicentennial

1946 French Legion of Honor

1946 Pope Pius XII medallion

1947 Orde Van Oranje-Nasaau (The Netherlands)

1947 Order of Leopold (Belgium)

1950 Knight of First Class, Order of St. Olaf (Norway)

1950 Sigma Delta Chi Key

1953 Pope Pius XII Silver Medal

1959 School Bell Award

1960 Kappa Delta Pi Key

1960 Hall of Fame for Great Americans

1962 George Foster Peabody Broadcasting Award

1963 Republique Française, Ordre National du Mérite

1964 Presidential Medal of Freedom

1965 United Nations Silver Medal

1965 Pope Paul VI visit to the United Nations

1965 Family of Man Award

1966 Pope Paul VI medal

1974 City of New York medallion

Honors and Awards - Plaques

1943 Freedom House Award

1950 Sigma Delta Chi

1953 Overseas Press Club

1954 Overseas Press Club

1955 Overseas Press Club

1960 Overseas Press Club

1967 National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences

1970 Columbia Journalism Award

Honors and Awards - Certificates

1906 Il Circolo Italiano dell Universita Harvard

1910 Phi Beta Kappa, Harvard

1927 American Arbitration Association

1938 Ordre National de la Légion d'Honneur, Officier

1946 Ordre National de la Légion d'Honneur, Commandeur

1947 American Society of International Law

1947 American Philosophical Society

1947 Order of Leopold (Belgium)

1949 American Academy of Arts and Sciences

1950 Order of St. Olaf (Norway)

1951 American Geographical Society

1951 Sigma Delta Chi

1952 Orde Van Oranje-Nassau (The Netherlands)

1958 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Comment

1958 University of Missouri School of Journalism

1959 American Military Institute

1959 National Press Club

1959 Académie Royale des Sciences, des Lettres at des Beaux-Arts de Belgique

1961 Advisory Committee on the Arts (National Cultural Center)

1962 George Foster Peabody Broadcasting Award

1962 Pulitzer Prize for Distinguished Reporting of International Affairs

1962 Massachusetts Historical Society

1962 Woodrow Wilson Memorial Commission

1964 Presidential Medal of Freedom

1965 National Institute of Arts and Letters

1965 Ordre National du Mérite, Grand-Officier

1971 AAPOR award (American Association for Public Opinion Research)

1971 Charter member, Sigma Delta Chi, Washington Hall of Fame