Silas Bent
Encyclopedia
Silas Bent IV son of Silas Bent III
and Ann Elizabeth (Tyler) Bent was an American
was a journalist, author, and lecturer. He began newspaper work in 1900 in Louisville, Kentucky
, on the Louisville Herald. After three years he moved to St. Louis
and joined the staff of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
as reporter and assistant editor. He was appointed assistant professor of theory and practice of journalism at the University of Missouri
School of Journalism
in Columbia, Missouri
when the school was opened in 1908, but resigned that position in February 1909 to return to the Post-Dispatch. Later, he did publicity work in Chicago and then spent 13 years in New York City. As a freelance writer he contributed articles to The New York Times
, Harper's Weekly
and The Atlantic among others.
Bent's most famous work is Ballyhoo (1927), a critical survey of newspaper practices; he also wrote Strange Bedfellows (1929), a book on contemporary political leaders; a biography of Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
, and Buchanan of the Press (Vanguard Press
, 1932), a novel about a reporter's career set in St. Louis. He died in 1945 and is buried in Bowling Green, Kentucky
.
Silas Bent (naval officer)
Silas Bent III was a naval officer in the U.S. Navy prior to the American Civil War. Silas Bent sailed both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and was recognized by the Navy for his contributions to oceanography which were published by the Navy...
and Ann Elizabeth (Tyler) Bent was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
was a journalist, author, and lecturer. He began newspaper work in 1900 in Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, on the Louisville Herald. After three years he moved to St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
and joined the staff of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch is the major city-wide newspaper in St. Louis, Missouri. Although written to serve Greater St. Louis, the Post-Dispatch is one of the largest newspapers in the Midwestern United States, and is available and read as far west as Kansas City, Missouri, as far south as...
as reporter and assistant editor. He was appointed assistant professor of theory and practice of journalism at the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
School of Journalism
Missouri School of Journalism
The Missouri School of Journalism at University of Missouri in Columbia, claims to be the oldest formal journalism school in the world. Founded in 1908, only the Ecole Supérieure de Journalisme de Paris established in 1899 may be older...
in Columbia, Missouri
Columbia, Missouri
Columbia is the fifth-largest city in Missouri, and the largest city in Mid-Missouri. With a population of 108,500 as of the 2010 Census, it is the principal municipality of the Columbia Metropolitan Area, a region of 164,283 residents. The city serves as the county seat of Boone County and as the...
when the school was opened in 1908, but resigned that position in February 1909 to return to the Post-Dispatch. Later, he did publicity work in Chicago and then spent 13 years in New York City. As a freelance writer he contributed articles to The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, Harper's Weekly
Harper's Weekly
Harper's Weekly was an American political magazine based in New York City. Published by Harper & Brothers from 1857 until 1916, it featured foreign and domestic news, fiction, essays on many subjects, and humor...
and The Atlantic among others.
Bent's most famous work is Ballyhoo (1927), a critical survey of newspaper practices; he also wrote Strange Bedfellows (1929), a book on contemporary political leaders; a biography of Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. was an American jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1902 to 1932...
, and Buchanan of the Press (Vanguard Press
Vanguard Press
The Vanguard Press was a United States publishing house established with a $100,000 grant from the left wing American Fund for Public Service, better known as the Garland Fund. Throughout the 1920s, Vanguard Press issued an array of books on radical topics, including studies of the Soviet Union,...
, 1932), a novel about a reporter's career set in St. Louis. He died in 1945 and is buried in Bowling Green, Kentucky
Bowling Green, Kentucky
Bowling Green is the third-most populous city in the state of Kentucky after Louisville and Lexington, with a population of 58,067 as of the 2010 Census. It is the county seat of Warren County and the principal city of the Bowling Green, Kentucky Metropolitan Statistical Area with an estimated 2009...
.
Selected bibliography
- Ballyhoo: The Voice of the Press (1927)
- Strange Bedfellows (1929)
- Buchanan of the Press (1932)