Arthur Ochs Sulzberger | |
|---|---|
 Sulzberger in 1984 | |
| Born | (1926-02-05)February 5, 1926 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | September 29, 2012(2012-09-29) (aged 86) Southampton, New York, U.S. |
| Other names | Punch Sulzberger |
| Alma mater | Columbia University (BA) |
| Occupation | Newspaper publisher |
| Years active | 1963–1997 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 4, includingArthur Jr. |
| Parent(s) | Arthur Hays Sulzberger Iphigene Bertha Ochs |
| Relatives |
|
| Awards | Pulitzer Prize |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch | United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1944–1952 |
| Battles / wars | |
Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Sr. (February 5, 1926 – September 29, 2012) was an American publisher and a businessman. Born into a prominent media and publishing family, Sulzberger became publisher ofThe New York Times in 1963 and chairman of the board ofThe New York Times Company in 1973. Sulzberger relinquished to his son,Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr., the office of publisher in 1992, and the board chairmanship in 1997.
Sulzberger was born to a Jewish family on February 5, 1926, in New York City, the son ofArthur Hays Sulzberger andIphigene Bertha Ochs (daughter ofAdolph Ochs, the former publisher and owner ofThe New York Times and theChattanooga Times[1] and granddaughter of RabbiIsaac Mayer Wise).[2][3] He had a sister named Judy,[4] which gave rise to his nickname, "Punch", in reference to the British traditional puppet show,Punch and Judy. Sulzberger graduated from theLoomis Chaffee School and then enlisted into theUnited States Marine Corps duringWorld War II, serving from 1944 to 1946, in thePacific Theater. He earned a B.A. degree in English and history in 1951 atColumbia University. As a student, he roomed with composerPhilip Springer inJohn Jay Hall.[5] As a member of theMarine Forces Reserve he was recalled to active duty during theKorean War. Following completion ofofficer training, he saw duty inKorea and then inWashington, D.C., before being inactivated.
Sulzberger became publisher ofThe New York Times in 1963, after the death of his sister Marian's husband,Orvil Dryfoos, who had been publisher for less than two years. Sulzberger was 37 at the time, the youngest publisher inTimes history. Prior to Dryfoos, Sulzberger's father,Arthur Hays Sulzberger, and maternal grandfather,Adolph Ochs, were the publishers, and also the chairs of the board ofThe New York Times Company.[6]
In the 1960s Sulzberger built a large news-gathering staff atThe Times. He was its publisher when the newspaper won aPulitzer Prize in 1972 for publishingThe Pentagon Papers. He was elected a fellow of theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1988.[7] His son Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr. succeeded him as the newspaper's publisher in 1992. Sulzberger remained chairman ofThe New York Times Company until October 1997.
In addition to his work atThe New York Times, he also served as trustee from 1968 as well as chairman of theMetropolitan Museum of Art from 1987 to 1998.[8] He was elected as a life trustee ofColumbia University in 1967.[9][10]
Sulzberger was married three times. In 1948, he married Barbara Winslow Grant[11](of mostlyScottish andEnglish heritage)[12] in a civil ceremony at her parents' home inPurchase, New York.[13] They had two children:Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr.; and Karen Alden Sulzberger (married to authorEric Lax); before divorcing in 1956.[14][15]
In December 1956, he married Carol Fox Fuhrman; they had one daughter, Cynthia Fox Sulzberger Green, before his wife died in 1995.[6][16] He also adopted Fox's daughter from a previous marriage, Cathy Sulzberger (who married Joseph George Perpich).[17][18] In 1996, he married Allison Stacey Cowles, widow of William H. Cowles, 3rd (died 1992), who was part ofthe Cowles family that ownsThe Spokesman-Review ofSpokane, Washington.[19][20]
In 2005, theNewspaper Association of America (NAA) honored Sulzberger with theKatharine Graham Lifetime Achievement Award.[21] Sulzberger dedicated theWellesley College pub, aptly named "Punch's Alley", in honor of his wife, Allison, a class of 1955 Wellesley alum.[22][23]
Sulzberger died at his home inSouthampton, New York on September 29, 2012, at the age of 86.[6][24]
On June 13, 1971,The New York Times published the first of seven articles on thePentagon Papers. According toFloyd Abrams, Sulzberger "made the call to accept the risks rather than those of silence", adding that "In retrospect, the decision may seem obvious, but it was by no means an easy one at the time, and it remains one for which Sulzberger deserves enormous credit."[25]
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| Preceded by | The New York Times Company Publisher 1963–1992 | Succeeded by |
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