Harold Ross

Harold Ross was a man who loved news.

He grew up in a small cabin. He worked for many different papers. Later, he started a magazine. It was called The New Yorker.

He wanted the stories to be chatty. He did not want them to be too serious. He worked very long hours. He even checked every word. He helped many writers find success. He ran the magazine for a long time. He was a very busy leader.

Harold Ross was a famous American journalist.

He was born in Colorado in 1892. As a young man, he worked for many newspapers. He even served in the Army during World War I. In France, he helped edit a journal called The Spiker.

In 1925, Ross helped start a new magazine. It was called The New Yorker. He started it with his wife, Jane Grant. Ross was the editor-in-chief, which means he was the main leader. He led the magazine until he died in 1951. He edited 1,399 issues in his life!

Ross wanted the magazine to feel chatty and informal. He did not want it to be too serious or heavy. He was a very careful editor. He wanted every sentence to be clear. He even used a book to help him use English correctly. He was known for using too many commas. Ross worked very long hours. This hard work helped make the magazine very famous.

Harold Ross was a famous American journalist.

He was born in Aspen, Colorado, in 1892. His father was a miner from a Scots-Irish family. When Ross was eight, his family moved many times. They lived in Redcliff and Silverton, Colorado, and Salt Lake City, Utah. By age 25, he had worked for seven different newspapers. He worked in places like California, Panama, and Georgia. In Atlanta, he even covered a very famous murder trial. This early work helped him learn how news works.

In 1925, Ross helped start a new magazine called The New Yorker.

He co-founded it with his wife, Jane Grant. They partnered with Raoul Fleischmann to form a publishing company. Ross wanted the magazine to feel chatty and informal. He did not want it to be too serious or intellectual. He wanted it to feel like a friendly conversation. This unique style helped the magazine find its own voice.

Ross was a very careful editor. He wanted every sentence to be clear and short. He often asked writers, "Who he?" to make sure they were clear. He used a book called Fowler's Modern English Usage to help him.

Some people said he used too many commas. He also checked all art to make sure it was suitable. He did not want "grim" stories or off-color jokes. He worked very hard to keep the magazine high quality.

During his career, Ross worked through many big events. He served in the Army during World War I. While in France, he edited a journal called The Spiker.

Later, the magazine stayed active during the Second World War. Even when many writers went to war, Ross kept working. He and his assistant, William Shawn, worked six or seven days a week. Ross edited 1,399 issues of the magazine before he died. He was the leader of the magazine for his whole career.

Ross's work changed how people thought about magazines.

He attracted famous writers like E. B. White and James Thurber. His magazine was like an underdog competing against much bigger companies. One story he published was about a man named John F. Kennedy. This story later helped Kennedy when he ran for president. Ross died in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1951. He left behind a magazine that was famous all over the world.

Harold Wallace Ross was a highly influential American journalist. He is best known as the co-founder and long-time editor-in-chief of The New Yorker magazine.

Ross helped define a new style of metropolitan journalism. He wanted to create a publication with a sophisticated yet informal tone. His work shaped how many people viewed humor and storytelling in print. He managed the magazine from its first issue in 1925 until his death in 1951.

Ross's career began with a very mobile and varied upbringing. He was born in 1892 in a prospector's cabin in Aspen, Colorado. His father was a miner of Scots-Irish descent. When Ross was eight, his family moved frequently due to a collapse in silver prices. They lived in several Colorado towns before settling in Salt Lake City, Utah. Ross began working on school papers and for The Salt Lake Tribune. He left school at age 13 to work as a reporter for The Denver Post. By the age of 25, he had gained experience at at least seven different newspapers. These included papers in California, Panama, New Orleans, Atlanta, and New York.

In Atlanta, Georgia, Ross covered the Leo Frank murder trial. This event was considered one of the "trials of the century." During World War I, Ross served in the United States Army's 18th Engineer Regiment. While stationed in France, he edited a regimental journal called The Spiker. He also worked for the Stars and Stripes newspaper in Paris. To reach Paris, Ross claimed he walked 150 miles from his training school. It was in Paris that he met Alexander Woollcott and Jane Grant. These connections proved vital for his future publishing career.

In 1925, Ross co-founded The New Yorker with his wife, Jane Grant. They established the F-R Publishing Company with partner Raoul Fleischmann.

Ross used his connections in the Algonquin Round Table to find talent. This group, also called "The Vicious Circle," helped launch the magazine. Ross sought to attract a wide variety of famous writers. His staff included figures such as E. B. White, James Thurber, and Vladimir Nabokov. Other notable contributors were Dorothy Parker, John O'Hara, and J. D. Salinger. This diverse group of writers helped establish the magazine's unique reputation.

Ross had a very specific vision for the magazine's content. He called fiction and humorous pieces "casuals." He wanted an offhand, chatty, and informal quality in every piece. He believed nothing should be overly "arty," literary, or intellectual. Ross also enforced strict rules regarding the subject matter. He forbade sex as a topic and rejected unsuitable advertisements. He also avoided "grim" or highly social-conscious articles. His goal was to avoid writing for a hypothetical "old lady in Dubuque." He wanted the magazine to reflect a specific metropolitan sensibility.

As an editor, Ross was known for being incredibly conscientious and careful. He worked to ensure that all copy was clear and concise. He famously used the query "Who he?" to check if writers were being clear. This meant ensuring that every person mentioned was recognizable to the reader. Ross lacked a formal higher education, so he relied on Fowler's Modern English Usage. He treated this book as his "Bible" for grammar and style. However, he was also notorious for his tendency to overuse commas. This habit became a well-known trait among literary circles.

Ross's dedication to the magazine was intense and often difficult. During the Second World War, the magazine operated with a skeleton staff. Many of the regular contributors had left to join the war effort. Ross and his assistant, William Shawn, worked six or seven days a week.

This intense work schedule reportedly damaged his three marriages. Despite these personal costs, his leadership was highly regarded. A correspondent noted that while Ross seemed unfit to edit, he was actually the only person who could. He edited a total of 1,399 issues during his tenure.

One notable moment in the magazine's history involved a profile of John F. Kennedy. The story, titled "Survival," was written by John Hersey. It was submitted to the United States Department of War for clearance. Kennedy's father, Joseph Kennedy Sr., felt the magazine was too small for such a story. He wanted it in the Reader's Digest instead. Ross, viewing his magazine as an underdog, eventually allowed a reprint in the Reader's Digest. This story later reached hundreds of thousands of people during Kennedy's political campaigns. Ross died of heart failure in Boston in 1951.