Leland Stowe
Encyclopedia
Leland Stowe was a Pulitzer Prize
winning American
journalist
noted for being one of the first to recognize the expansionist character of the German
Nazi
regime.
. After graduating from Wesleyan University
in 1921, where he was a member of a fraternity that later became a chapter of The Kappa Alpha Society, he started working as a journalist and became a foreign correspondent in Paris
in 1926 for the New York Tribune
. He won a Pulitzer Prize
in 1930 for his coverage of the Paris Reparations Conference
. Stowe was a runner-up for a second Pulitzer Prize in 1940 for his work as a war correspondent in World War II
and his coverage of the Russo-Finnish War.
In the summer of 1933, Stowe visited Nazi Germany
. Shocked by its militarism, he wrote a series of critical articles that were not published as the articles were seen as too alarmist. Stowe published the articles in a book, Nazi Germany Means War; it was, however, not a success.
When World War II
started in Europe in 1939, he worked as a war correspondent for the Chicago Daily News
and the New York Post
. He happened to be in Oslo
on April 9, 1940 and therefore witnessed the German invasion
, as well as the general confusion within the Norwegian forces, administration, and Allied Expeditionary Forces
. Stowe "revealed the collaboration of Norwegian Vidkun Quisling
in helping the Nazis seize Oslo without a shot." In 1942 Stowe as a war correspondent visited Moscow and traveled to the front lines of the still retreating troops of USSR. His travel companion and guide was Ilya Ehrenburg
, a Russian-Jewish-Soviet war journalist. Stowe's book They Shall Not Sleep gives a rare insider view of an American journalist on the Soviet Army, and the events of the war from the Soviet side of the front.
Stowe's critical reportage was claimed to be one of the influences that helped bring down Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain
in the United Kingdom
. His writings also gave the Norwegian government-in-exile considerable problems as they tried to organise the resistance after Norway had been occupied.
Stowe kept on working as a correspondent during the war, covering 44 countries on four continents. After the war, Stowe was director of Radio Free Europe
's News and Information Service.
In 1955, he became a professor of journalism at the University of Michigan
in Ann Arbor
. During his tenure, he alternated between teaching one semester each academic year
and working as an editor and staff writer for Reader's Digest
. During this time he heard about a pioneering settler in British Columbia named Ralph Edwards
and spent 12 days in his remote cabin interviewing him for the book Crusoe of Lonesome Lake (1957) which became one of Stowe's most popular books.
He taught at the university until he retired in 1970, after which he was a professor emeritus
of journalism. He remained in Ann Arbor until his death.
In addition to the Pulitzer Prize, Stowe also received the Légion d'honneur
, the Military Cross of Greece, and honorary degrees from Harvard University
, Wesleyan, and Hobart College
, amongst other honors.
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
winning American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
noted for being one of the first to recognize the expansionist character of the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Nazi
National Socialist German Workers Party
The National Socialist German Workers' Party , commonly known in English as the Nazi Party, was a political party in Germany between 1920 and 1945. Its predecessor, the German Workers' Party , existed from 1919 to 1920...
regime.
Biography
Leland Stowe was born in Southbury, ConnecticutSouthbury, Connecticut
Southbury is a town located in western New Haven County, Connecticut, USA. Southbury is located north of Oxford and Newtown; it also is east of Brookfield. Southbury's population was 18,567 at the 2000 census....
. After graduating from Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
in 1921, where he was a member of a fraternity that later became a chapter of The Kappa Alpha Society, he started working as a journalist and became a foreign correspondent in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1926 for the New York Tribune
New York Tribune
The New York Tribune was an American newspaper, first established by Horace Greeley in 1841, which was long considered one of the leading newspapers in the United States...
. He won a Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
in 1930 for his coverage of the Paris Reparations Conference
War reparations
War reparations are payments intended to cover damage or injury during a war. Generally, the term war reparations refers to money or goods changing hands, rather than such property transfers as the annexation of land.- History :...
. Stowe was a runner-up for a second Pulitzer Prize in 1940 for his work as a war correspondent in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and his coverage of the Russo-Finnish War.
In the summer of 1933, Stowe visited Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
. Shocked by its militarism, he wrote a series of critical articles that were not published as the articles were seen as too alarmist. Stowe published the articles in a book, Nazi Germany Means War; it was, however, not a success.
When World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
started in Europe in 1939, he worked as a war correspondent for the Chicago Daily News
Chicago Daily News
The Chicago Daily News was an afternoon daily newspaper published between 1876 and 1978 in Chicago, Illinois.-History:The Daily News was founded by Melville E. Stone, Percy Meggy, and William Dougherty in 1875 and began publishing early the next year...
and the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
. He happened to be in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
on April 9, 1940 and therefore witnessed the German invasion
Norwegian Campaign
The Norwegian Campaign was a military campaign that was fought in Norway during the Second World War between the Allies and Germany, after the latter's invasion of the country. In April 1940, the United Kingdom and France came to Norway's aid with an expeditionary force...
, as well as the general confusion within the Norwegian forces, administration, and Allied Expeditionary Forces
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
. Stowe "revealed the collaboration of Norwegian Vidkun Quisling
Vidkun Quisling
Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Jonssøn Quisling was a Norwegian politician. On 9 April 1940, with the German invasion of Norway in progress, he seized power in a Nazi-backed coup d'etat that garnered him international infamy. From 1942 to 1945 he served as Minister-President, working with the occupying...
in helping the Nazis seize Oslo without a shot." In 1942 Stowe as a war correspondent visited Moscow and traveled to the front lines of the still retreating troops of USSR. His travel companion and guide was Ilya Ehrenburg
Ilya Ehrenburg
Ilya Grigoryevich Ehrenburg was a Soviet writer, journalist, translator, and cultural figure.Ehrenburg is among the most prolific and notable authors of the Soviet Union; he published around one hundred titles. He became known first and foremost as a novelist and a journalist - in particular, as a...
, a Russian-Jewish-Soviet war journalist. Stowe's book They Shall Not Sleep gives a rare insider view of an American journalist on the Soviet Army, and the events of the war from the Soviet side of the front.
Stowe's critical reportage was claimed to be one of the influences that helped bring down Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain
Neville Chamberlain
Arthur Neville Chamberlain FRS was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940. Chamberlain is best known for his appeasement foreign policy, and in particular for his signing of the Munich Agreement in 1938, conceding the...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. His writings also gave the Norwegian government-in-exile considerable problems as they tried to organise the resistance after Norway had been occupied.
Stowe kept on working as a correspondent during the war, covering 44 countries on four continents. After the war, Stowe was director of Radio Free Europe
Radio Free Europe
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is a broadcaster funded by the U.S. Congress that provides news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East "where the free flow of information is either banned by government authorities or not fully developed"...
's News and Information Service.
In 1955, he became a professor of journalism at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
. During his tenure, he alternated between teaching one semester each academic year
Academic term
An academic term is a division of an academic year, the time during which a school, college or university holds classes. These divisions may be called terms...
and working as an editor and staff writer for Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest is a general interest family magazine, published ten times annually. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, its headquarters is now in New York City. It was founded in 1922, by DeWitt Wallace and Lila Bell Wallace...
. During this time he heard about a pioneering settler in British Columbia named Ralph Edwards
Ralph Edwards (homesteader)
Ralph Edwards was a pioneering British Columbian homesteader and leading conservationist of the trumpeter swan. He received the Order of Canada in 1972 for his conservation efforts, and is the namesake of the Edwards Range mountains...
and spent 12 days in his remote cabin interviewing him for the book Crusoe of Lonesome Lake (1957) which became one of Stowe's most popular books.
He taught at the university until he retired in 1970, after which he was a professor emeritus
Emeritus
Emeritus is a post-positive adjective that is used to designate a retired professor, bishop, or other professional or as a title. The female equivalent emerita is also sometimes used.-History:...
of journalism. He remained in Ann Arbor until his death.
In addition to the Pulitzer Prize, Stowe also received the Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
, the Military Cross of Greece, and honorary degrees from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, Wesleyan, and Hobart College
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Hobart and William Smith Colleges, located in Geneva, New York, are together a liberal arts college offering Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts in Teaching degrees. In athletics, however, the two schools compete with separate teams, known as the Hobart Statesmen and the...
, amongst other honors.
Works
- Nazi Germany Means War (1933)
- The Loyalists Can Still Win (1938)
- No Other Road to Freedom (1941)
- A Lesson from the Greeks (1942)
- They Shall Not Sleep (1944)
- Are You Voting for a Third World War? (1944)
- Challenge to Freedom (1945)
- While Time Remains (1946)
- Target: You (1949)
- Conquest By Terror: The Story of Satellite Europe (1952)
- Crusoe of Lonesome Lake (1957)
- "When the Saints Come Singing In" (Readers Digest 106 (April 1975): 45-50)
- The Last Great Frontiersman: The Remarkable Adventures of Tom Lamb (1982)
External links
- Leland Stowe on Spartacus UK
- Leland Stowe Papers at Newberry LibraryNewberry LibraryThe Newberry Library is a privately endowed, independent research library for the humanities and social sciences in Chicago, Illinois. Although it is private, non-circulating library, the Newberry Library is free and open to the public...