Baldwin, Hanson Weightman, 1903-1991

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Hanson Baldwin was a writer for the Baltimore Sun (1928), the New York Times (1929-1968), and Reader's Digest (1968-1976). He reported extensively on World War II, and in 1942 he became military editor for the New York Times. Baldwin was co-chairman of the armaments group of the Council on Foreign Relations. He served as editor of many books and authored numerous articles. Baldwin died in 1991.

From the description of Hanson Weightman Baldwin papers, 1900-1988 (inclusive). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 702154906

Author, journalist, and lieutenant in the U.S. Navy. He received the Pulitzer Prize in 1942.

From the description of Tiger Jack, ca. 1979. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 122497334

From the guide to the Tiger Jack, 1979, (L. Tom Perry Special Collections)

Journalist, writer.

From the description of Reminiscences of Hanson Weightman Baldwin : lecture, 1960. (Columbia University In the City of New York). WorldCat record id: 122527018

Author and military correspondent and editor, New York Times. Died 1991.

From the description of Hanson Weightman Baldwin papers, 1920-1978. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 70983017

Biographical Note

  • 1903, Mar. 22: Born, Baltimore, Md.
  • 1924: B.S., United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md.
  • 1924 - 1927 : Naval officer, sea duty along the East Coast, in the Caribbean, and in Europe
  • 1927: Resigned from active duty
  • 1928 - 1929 : Police and general assignment reporter, Baltimore Sun
  • 1929 - 1937 : General assignment reporter, New York Times
  • 1931: Married Helen Bruce
  • 1933: Resigned Naval Reserve commission
  • 1937 - 1942 : Military and naval correspondent, New York Times
  • 1942: Published Strategy for Victory. New York: W. W. Norton
  • 1942 - 1968 : Military affairs editor, New York Times
  • 1943: Awarded the Pulitzer Prize
  • 1944: Awarded Distinguished Service Medal, Syracuse University, Syracuse, N.Y.
  • 1958: Published The Great Arms Race. New York: Praeger
  • 1969 - 1971 : President, United States Naval Academy Alumni Association
  • 1970: Published Strategy for Tomorrow. New York: Harper & Row
  • 1991, Nov. 13: Died, Roxbury, Conn.

From the guide to the Hanson Weightman Baldwin Papers, 1920-1978, (Manuscript Division Library of Congress)

Hanson Baldwin was a writer for the Baltimore Sun (1928), the New York Times (1929-1968), and Reader's Digest (1968-1976). He reported extensively on World War II, and in 1942 he became military editor for the New York Times . Baldwin was co-chairman of the armaments group of the Council on Foreign Relations. He served as editor of many books and authored numerous articles. Baldwin died in 1991.

After retiring from the New York Times in 1968, Hanson Baldwin became an editor at Reader's Digest . He retired from the Digest in 1976. Baldwin's books published after his retirement from the New York Times include Strategy for Tomorrow (1970), The Crucial Years, 1939-1941: The World at War (1976), A New Treaty for Panama? (with Abraham F. Lowenthal and Milton Charlton, 1977), and Tiger Jack (1979). Baldwin died in 1991. For Hanson Baldwin materials in other repositories, the researcher should search the Research Libraries Information Network. For other Baldwin family papers, especially for Hanson Baldwin's father, O. P. Baldwin, Jr., contact the Virginia Historical Society in Richmond, Virginia.

Hanson Weightman Baldwin was born in Baltimore, Maryland on March 22, 1903. His father, Oliver Perry Baldwin, was editor of the Baltimore Sun. Baldwin was educated at the Boys' Latin School, Baltimore, and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, in 1924. He was commissioned an ensign in the U.S. Navy and served on battleships and a destroyer on the East coast, in the Caribbean, and in a European squadron. In 1927 he resigned in order to travel and write. He spent a year as a quartermaster in the merchant marine and in 1928 joined the Baltimore Sun as a general assignment and police reporter.

In 1929 Baldwin joined the staff of the New York Times . Because of his background and interests the New York Times gave him an increasing number of naval and military assignments. In 1937 Baldwin spent four months in Europe covering the armaments build-up. In 1942 he was awarded the Pulitzer prize for his articles on the war in the Pacific. In the same year he became the military editor of the New York Times . Until his retirement in 1968, Baldwin travelled extensively and covered major military events for the Times all over the world. He was present at the Normandy invasion and the second atomic test at Bikini; he went to Korea, Japan and Formosa in 1950, to Berlin in 1961, and to Vietnam in 1965 and again in 1968.

In 1940 Baldwin became co-chairman with Allen Dulles of the armaments group of the Council on Foreign Relations' "Studies of American Interests in the War and the Peace." He was also a member of the Security Task Force of the first Hoover Commission and was a frequent witness before various government committees. Nevertheless, Baldwin believed that his major responsibility was to the public and the nation, and not to any administration. If he received classified information in confidence it was not revealed, but "no newspaper and no commentator," he insisted, "can regard a classified stamp as a bar to publication or virtually no newspaper could be published." (See correspondence with Albert L. Kotzebue.) In 1962 Baldwin was investigated by the F.B.I. for publishing information about Russian missile bases which was not known to some high-ranking government officials.

Baldwin wrote numerous articles for periodicals, as well as those for the New York Times ; he frequently gave talks at service schools and academies, and he appeared both on radio and television. For a list of his published writings see Series II, "Writings," and the Appendix to these papers.

In 1938 Baldwin co-edited, with Shepard Stone, We Saw It Happen, a collection of stories by New York Times journalists. Between 1960 and 1968 he edited a series of books for J.B. Lippincott called Great Battles of History .

Baldwin married Helen Bruce in 1931. They have two daughters and several grandchildren.

From the guide to the Hanson Weightman Baldwin papers, 1900-1988, (Manuscripts and Archives)

Hanson Weightman Baldwin (1903-1991) was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American author and military historian. He was born March 22, 1903, in Baltimore, Maryland, the son of Oliver Perry and Caroline Sutton Baldwin. His father was managing editor and editorial writer for the Baltimore Sun. Baldwin attended the Boys' Latin School in Baltimore and graduated from the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1924. After serving aboard battleships and a destroyer, he resigned from the Navy in 1927 and became a reporter for the Baltimore Sun the following year. He joined the New York Times two days before the 1929 stock market crash and was appointed its military editor in 1937.

Baldwin traveled throughout Europe in the 1930's, reporting on the buildup of the German war machine and the military preparedness of other European nations. Before the United States entered World War II, he was invited to lecture soldiers about military and political problems. His coverage of the war in the Western Pacific won him a Pulitzer Prize in 1942, and he was present during many other important campaigns, including the Normandy invasion. Syracuse University's School of Journalism awarded him a medal for distinguished service in 1944, and he received an honorary doctorate from Drake University in 1945.

After the war, Baldwin concentrated on military-political problems and the organization of the United States military for the atomic age. He covered atomic bomb tests, the Korean conflict, the Suez crisis, and the war in Vietnam before his retirement in 1968.

In addition to his work for the Times, Baldwin contributed articles to such publications as Aviation, Foreign Affairs, Harper's, National Review, Reader's Digest, and Saturday Evening Post . He also wrote or edited nineteen books, including United We Stand!: Defense of the Western Hemisphere (1941), The Great Arms Race: A Comparison of U.S. and Soviet Power Today (1958), World War I: An Outline History (1962), Battles Lost and Won: Great Campaigns of World War II (1966), and The Crucial Years: 1939-1941 (1976). He wrote, but never published, a biography of John Shirley "Tiger Jack" Wood (1888-1966), an American Major General and commander of the 4th Armored Division. Wood was a close friend of General Patton, a brilliant commander who has been called "the American Rommel." ( Patton: a Genius for War, Carlo d'Este, p. 631).

Baldwin married Helen Bruce of Springfield, Ohio, in 1931, and the couple had two daughters. The Baldwins moved to Roxbury, Connecticut, after his retirement from the Times .

From the guide to the Hanson W. Baldwin Papers, 1945-1968, (Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries)

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
referencedIn Robert Lee Sherrod Papers, 1910-1963 Syracuse University. Library. Special Collections Research Center
referencedIn Anna Eleanor Roosevelt Papers. 1860 - 1964. Correspondence with Harry S. Truman. 1945 - 1962. Harry S. Truman, 1953-1962. 1945 - 1962. Letter from Harry S. Truman to Eleanor Roosevelt Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum
referencedIn Managing editors papers, 1904-1951. New York State Historical Documents Inventory
referencedIn New York TImes Company records. Clifton Daniel papers, 1955-1979 New York Public Library. Manuscripts and Archives Division
referencedIn David Foote Sellers Papers, 1860-1949, (bulk 1927-1938) Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
referencedIn Armstrong, Hamilton Fish, 1893-1973. Hamilton Fish Armstrong papers, 1893-1973 (bulk 1916-1973). Princeton University Library
creatorOf Hanson W. Baldwin Papers, 1945-1968 Syracuse University. Library. Special Collections Research Center
referencedIn Powell, Lewis F., 1907-1998. Lewis F. Powell, Jr. papers, 1921-1998. [part 3]. The Library at Washington and Lee University School of Law, Law Library
creatorOf Tiger Jack, 1979 L. Tom Perry Special Collections
referencedIn Thomas D. White Papers, 1945-1961 Syracuse University. Library. Special Collections Research Center
creatorOf Omicran Pi Phi. Papers. United States Military Academy, USMA Library
referencedIn New York Times Company records. Arthur Hays Sulzberger papers, 1823-1999 New York Public Library. Manuscripts and Archives Division
creatorOf Baldwin, Hanson Weightman, 1903-1991. Oral history reminiscences. Naval War College, Henry E. Eccles Library
referencedIn Rogers, Warren Lee, 1912-1992. Papers of Warren Lee Rogers, 1912-1992. Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens
creatorOf Baldwin, Hanson Weightman, 1903-1991. Tiger Jack, ca. 1979. Harold B. Lee Library
referencedIn John Mason Brown papers, 1922-1967. Houghton Library
referencedIn John Shirley Wood Papers, 1917-1967 Syracuse University. Library. Special Collections Research Center
referencedIn Chester Bowles papers, 1924-1982 Yale University. Department of Manuscripts and Archives
creatorOf Randolph, Bessie Carter, 1885-1966. Papers of Bessie Carter Randolph [manuscript] 1918-61. University of Virginia. Library
referencedIn Warren Lee Rogers papers, 1912-1992 Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery
referencedIn Robert Davies papers on Hanson Baldwin, 1936-2005 Yale University. Department of Manuscripts and Archives
referencedIn Harry E. Yarnell Papers, 1909-1958, (bulk 1939-1945) Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
creatorOf Dartmouth Convocation on Great Issues in the Anglo-Canadian-American Community (1957 : Dartmouth College). Records, 1956-1957. New Hampshire Newspaper Project
referencedIn Chester Bowles papers, 1924-1982 Yale University. Department of Manuscripts and Archives
referencedIn Hugh Byas papers, 1928-1941 Yale University. Department of Manuscripts and Archives
referencedIn Joseph Berry Keenan Papers, 1942-1947 Harvard Law School, HarvardUniversity
creatorOf Baldwin, Hanson Weightman, 1903-1991. Oral history reminiscences. Naval War College, Henry E. Eccles Library
referencedIn Dudley Wright Knox Papers, circa 1864-1960, (bulk 1921-1946) Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
referencedIn Leach, Walter Barton. W. Barton Leach Papers. 1920-1971. Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
creatorOf Lewis F. Powell Jr. Papers The Library at Washington and Lee University School of Law, Law Library
creatorOf Baldwin, Hanson Weightman, 1903-1991. United we stand! / by Hanson W. Baldwin. Dartmouth College Library
creatorOf Hanson Weightman Baldwin papers, 1900-1988 Yale University. Department of Manuscripts and Archives
referencedIn Bernard L. Austin Papers, 1916-1979, (bulk 1937-1968) Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
referencedIn Zeligs, Meyer Aaron. Meyer Aaron Zeligs Papers. 1923-1978. Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
referencedIn Hamilton Fish Armstrong Papers, 1893-1973, 1916-1973 Princeton University. Library. Dept. of Rare Books and Special Collections.Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library. Public Policy Papers.
creatorOf Atkinson, Brooks, 1894-1984. Letters, 1920-1977 : to Lewis Mumford. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
referencedIn New York Times Company records. A.M. Rosenthal papers, 1955-1994, 1967-1986 New York Public Library. Manuscripts and Archives Division
referencedIn Homer D. Crotty papers and addenda, 1859-2011 The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens Manuscripts Department
creatorOf Baldwin, Hanson Weightman, 1903-1991. Reminiscences of Hanson Weightman Baldwin : lecture, 1960. Columbia University in the City of New York, Columbia University Libraries
creatorOf Hanson Weightman Baldwin Papers, 1920-1978 Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
referencedIn Fletcher, Frank Jack. Papers, 1930-1946. Naval War College, Henry E. Eccles Library
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
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correspondedWith Rogers, Warren Lee, 1912-1992. person
associatedWith Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano), 1882-1945. person
associatedWith Rosenthal, A. M. (Abraham Michael), 1922-2006 person
associatedWith Russell, Richard Brevard, 1897-1972. person
associatedWith Salinger, Pierre, 1925- person
associatedWith Salisbury, Harrison Evans, 1908- person
associatedWith Sandoz, Mari, 1896-1966. person
associatedWith Sebald, William. person
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correspondedWith Sellers, David Foote, 1874-1949. person
associatedWith Sherrod, Robert Lee, 1909- person
associatedWith Sikorsky, Igor I. person
associatedWith Smith, Truman, 1893-1970. person
associatedWith Stallings, Laurence, 1894-1968. person
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associatedWith Wood, John Shirley, 1888-1966. person
correspondedWith Yarnell, Harry E. (Harry Ervin), 1875-1959. person
correspondedWith Zeligs, Meyer Aaron, 1909-1978 person
Place Name Admin Code Country
France
Great Britain.
Soviet Union
United States
Middle East
United States
Spain
Great Britain
Maryland--Baltimore
United States
Asia.
New York (State)--New York
South America
Spain
United States
Soviet Union
Europe
Asia
Subject
Publishers and publishing
Publishers and publishing
United States
American newspapers
American newspapers
American newspapers
Armed Forces
Authors
Biography
Cold War
Conservatism
Conservatism
Europe
Generals
Generals
Government, Law and Politics
Military history
Journalism
Journalists
Korean War, 1950-1953
Middle East
Military
Military art and science
Military history, Modern
South America
Soviet Union
Vietnamese Conflict, 1961-1975
Vietnam War, 1961-1975
World politics
World War, 1939-1945
World War, 1939-1945
World War, 1939-1945
World War, 1939-1945
Occupation
Authors
Journalists
Military historians
Newspaper editors
Activity

Person

Birth 1903-03-22

Death 1991-11-13

Americans

English

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