Hearst, William Randolph (1863–1951)

William Randolph Hearst was a well-known 20thcentury publisher whose influence extended to art, architecture, publishing, politics, and Hollywood. Born in San Francisco, California, he inherited more than just money from his father, a self-made multimillionaire miner and rancher. Most important, he [Page 303]became proprietor of the San Francisco Examiner, which had been given to his father as payment for a gambling debt. After studying at St. Paul's Preparatory School, Hearst continued his education at Harvard College, where he showed both interest and talent in journalism, which he demonstrated as business manager of the Harvard Lampoon. In 1887 he took over the San Francisco Examiner and began his lucrative career as journalist.