Marshall Field IV
Encyclopedia
Marshall Field IV was the owner of the Chicago Sun-Times
from 1956 to 1965.
.
He was educated at Harvard University
and the University of Virginia School of Law
.
in June 1942. He served as a gunnery officer aboard the
aircraft carrier USS Enterprise in a number of engagements in the Pacific and was wounded during the Battle of Santa Cruz
. His conduct in the engagement won him the Silver Star
, the Purple Heart
, and the Presidential Unit Citation
. He was discharged with the rank of Lt. Commander in 1944.
He learned the newspaper trade as a reporter for the Chicago Sun, owned by his father, from 1946 to 1948. He had a nervous breakdown
and was briefly institutionalized following his father's death in 1956, then took up the reins as the owner of the Chicago Sun-Times and Field Enterprises
. He also owned the Parade from 1956 to 1958 and purchased the Chicago Daily News in 1959.
Governor Robert P. Bass
, in 1938. The couple divorced in 1947 after having two children together, Marshall Field V (b. 1941) and Joanne Field Langdon. Marshall Field V is married and the father of Marshall Field VI.
His second marriage, to Katherine Woodruff (later Fanning), lasted from 1950 to 1963 and produced three children: Frederick "Ted" Field
(b. 1953), Katherine Field Stephen and Barbara Field.
His third marriage, to Julia Lynne Templeton in 1964, ended with his death. The couple had one child, Corinne Field (b. 1965).
There are two professorships at the University of Chicago
named after him, the Marshall Field IV Professor in Sociology and the Marshall Field IV Professor in Urban Education.
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
from 1956 to 1965.
Early life and education
Marshall Field IV was born on June 15, 1916 to Evelyn and Marshall Field IIIMarshall Field III
Marshall Field III was an American investment banker, publisher, racehorse owner/breeder, philanthropist, heir to the Marshall Field department store fortune and a leading financial supporter and founding board member of Saul Alinsky's community organizing network Industrial Areas Foundation.Born...
.
He was educated at 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...
and the University of Virginia School of Law
University of Virginia School of Law
The University of Virginia School of Law was founded in Charlottesville in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson as one of the original subjects taught at his "academical village," the University of Virginia. The law school maintains an enrollment of approximately 1,100 students in its initial degree program...
.
Career
Field was commissioned as an Ensign in the United States NavyUnited States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
in June 1942. He served as a gunnery officer aboard the
aircraft carrier USS Enterprise in a number of engagements in the Pacific and was wounded during the Battle of Santa Cruz
Battle of Santa Cruz
The Battle of Santa Cruz may refer to:*1656 Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife during the Anglo-Spanish War in the Canary Islands, Spain...
. His conduct in the engagement won him the Silver Star
Silver Star
The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....
, the Purple Heart
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...
, and the Presidential Unit Citation
Presidential Unit Citation
The Presidential Unit Citation is a senior unit award granted to military units which have performed an extremely meritorious or heroic act, usually in the face of an armed enemy...
. He was discharged with the rank of Lt. Commander in 1944.
He learned the newspaper trade as a reporter for the Chicago Sun, owned by his father, from 1946 to 1948. He had a nervous breakdown
Nervous breakdown
Mental breakdown is a non-medical term used to describe an acute, time-limited phase of a specific disorder that presents primarily with features of depression or anxiety.-Definition:...
and was briefly institutionalized following his father's death in 1956, then took up the reins as the owner of the Chicago Sun-Times and Field Enterprises
Field Enterprises
Field Enterprises was a private holding company founded on August 31, 1944, by Marshall Field III and others whose main asset was the Chicago Sun. That same year the company acquired the book publishers Simon & Schuster and Pocket Books....
. He also owned the Parade from 1956 to 1958 and purchased the Chicago Daily News in 1959.
Marriage and children
Field married Joanne Bass, daughter of former New HampshireNew Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
Governor Robert P. Bass
Robert P. Bass
Robert Perkins Bass was an American farmer, forestry expert, and Republican politician from Peterborough, New Hampshire. He served in both houses of the New Hampshire Legislature and as chairman of the state's Forestry Commission before being elected governor of New Hampshire in 1910...
, in 1938. The couple divorced in 1947 after having two children together, Marshall Field V (b. 1941) and Joanne Field Langdon. Marshall Field V is married and the father of Marshall Field VI.
His second marriage, to Katherine Woodruff (later Fanning), lasted from 1950 to 1963 and produced three children: Frederick "Ted" Field
Ted Field
Frederick Woodruff "Ted" Field is an American media mogul and entrepreneur and film producer.-Biography:Field was born in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, the son of Katherine Woodruff Fanning, an editor of the Christian Science Monitor, and Marshall Field IV, who owned the Chicago Sun-Times. He is...
(b. 1953), Katherine Field Stephen and Barbara Field.
His third marriage, to Julia Lynne Templeton in 1964, ended with his death. The couple had one child, Corinne Field (b. 1965).
Death and afterward
Marshall Field IV died on September 18, 1965. While it was rumored that he had died of an accidental overdose, the Cook County coroner's office ruled his death as result of natural causes.There are two professorships at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
named after him, the Marshall Field IV Professor in Sociology and the Marshall Field IV Professor in Urban Education.