Hertzberg, Sidney

Sidney Hertzberg was an editor, journalist and publicist noted for his strong interest in the labor movement, progressive politics and Indian affairs.

Hertzberg was born in New York City in 1910, was educated in the New York public schools, and briefly attended the University of Wisconsin. In 1929 he took a job as a copy boy at the New York Times, and was soon promoted to reporter. Hertzberg remained with the paper until 1934, then worked in a variety of editorial positions for such publications as The New Leader, Time, Fortune, The Nation, The New Republic, and the New York Post. He was publicity manager for the 1936 presidential campaign of Norman Thomas, and supported numerous socialist and labor movement causes. Immediately prior to World War II, Hertzberg was national publicity director of the America First Committee, organized the Writers Anti-War Bureau and co-edited the news sheet Uncensored. In 1943 he became editor of Common Sense, a monthly public affairs magazine. He served from 1945-1947 as editorial consultant for Commentary.

During the 1940s, Hertzberg became increasingly interested in Indian political affairs. He aided efforts by the India League of America to provide support for the Indian nationalist movement, and in 1946 participated in the India Famine Emergency Committee's American Famine Mission to India. Hertzberg met with Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, and established friendships with prominent Indian politicians. He traveled in Asia as a regional representative of the United Nations Appeal for Children, and became a special consultant on Asia for CARE. From 1950-1956 Hertzberg was special correspondent in America for The Hindustan Times, a New Delhi newspaper edited by Davidas Gandhi. In 1959 he founded Current, a monthly magazine which he edited until 1964. Hertzberg then served as editorial director of the Consumers Union (publisher of Consumer Reports), and was engaged in a variety of free-lance editorial assignments for the Ford Foundation, the Columbia Broadcasting System, and Life magazine. He worked as a special consultant to presidential candidate Hubert H. Humphrey during the 1968 election campaign. Sidney Hertzberg died of lung cancer in 1984.

From the description of Sidney Hertzberg papers, 1924-1984. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 86164189