Raymond Lewis Clapper (May 30, 1892 – February 1, 1944) was an American journalist, commentator and news analyst for both radio and newspapers[1] who was described in aLife magazine article as "one of America's ablest and most-respected journalists."[2] Clapper died in a plane crash while covering the invasion of theMarshall Islands duringWorld War II.
Raymond Lewis Clapper was born on May 30, 1892 inLa Cygne,Kansas, the son of a farmer ofPennsylvania Dutch ancestry. When he was young, his father moved the family toKansas City, Kansas in order to take a factory job to better support his family.[3] Clapper married Olive Ewing in 1913. They had a daughter and a son.[4][3]
In the summer of 1916, while he was still enrolled at the University of Kansas, Clapper worked as a reporter forThe Kansas City Star.[6] That fall, he began working for theUnited Press (UP) wire service inChicago.[7] In 1917, he was promoted to manager of UP's Northwest Bureau, which had headquarters in Chicago and served newspapers inwestern Canada and portions of six states.[8]
In 1923, Clapper was transferred toWashington, D.C., to report on politics there. Six years later, he was made the manager of UP's Washington operation.[9]
Clapper's success resulted to a large extent from "his objective writing style and his ability to explain the politics and policies of Washington for the average reader."[9] His reputation was enhanced nationally by an exposé, "Racketeering in Washington," that was published in 1933. Later that year he was hired byThe Washington Post. A year later, he began a column,Between You and Me, which was distributed daily to 176Scripps-Howard Newspapers newspapers.[9]
Clapper was anewscaster for theMutual Broadcasting System in the 1930s and 1940s.[10] In 1942, he replacedRaymond Gram Swing on Mutual's evening newscast when Swing moved to another network. A reviewer writing about Clapper's debut broadcast wrote, "His approach is colloquial, colorful and vivid ..."[11]
Clapper's success in newspapers and radio led to opportunities in public speaking. An article in the January 24, 1942, issue ofBillboard listed Clapper among "top radio names who are currently lecturing or have recently lectured, and who have been getting between $1,000 and $1,500."[14]
In 1944, Clapper's widow edited some of his columns into a book,Watching the World. It was published by Whittlesey House, McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc.[15] The book was described in a contemporary advertisement as containing "the cream of his work -- columns, broadcasts, articles ... reflecting outstanding events during those critical years."[16] The book included a 32-page biography of Clapper by Mrs. Clapper.[17]
Clapper was killed February 1, 1944,[1] during theWorld War II, when an airplane in which he was riding collided with another plane while reporting on theAllied invasion of theMarshall Islands. "Both planes crashed into a lagoon," a news report said, leaving no survivors.[4] When he died, Clapper was still officially a political columnist for Scripps-Howard, but he was reporting on the invasion of the Marshall Islands.[4]
Marquis Childs took over Clapper's columnWashington Calling when he died.[18]
^abDeLong, Thomas A. (1996).Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 55.ISBN978-0-7864-2834-2.
