William Gershon Lambert Jr. (February 2, 1920 – February 8, 1998)[1] was an American journalist who wrote forThe Oregonian,Life magazine and other publications. Lambert, a native ofLangford, South Dakota, won aPulitzer Prize in 1957. He served in theU.S. Army duringWorld War II.[2] He was a reporter and news editor for theOregon City Banner-Courier from 1945 to 1950, when he became a reporter for theOregonian.[2]
Called by one of his editors "the modern-day father of investigative journalism",[3] Lambert launched aninvestigative journalism team atLife,[4] and forced the resignation of U.S. Supreme Court JusticeAbe Fortas in 1969. HisLife magazine story on Fortas won theGeorge Polk Award for magazine reporting that year. Fortas, accused of having taken $20,000 from stock swindlerLouis Wolfson in 1966, resigned nine days after Lambert's story appeared.[5]
Lambert andThe New York Times reporterWallace Turner shared the Pulitzer Prize for local reporting in 1957 for their five-part series in the PortlandOregonian focusing onDave Beck, president of theInternational Brotherhood of Teamsters, and exposing corruption in the union.[6] Lambert and Turner were the first witnesses in the congressional investigation of Beck and the Teamsters.
Lambert died on February 8, 1998, inPhiladelphia of a respiratory ailment. He was survived by his wife Jean Kenway Lambert and daughters Kathy (Wollen) Lambert and Heather (Oxberry) Lambert.
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