Stewart Alsop
Encyclopedia
Stewart Johonnot Oliver Alsop (May 17, 1914 – May 26, 1974) was an American
newspaper columnist and political analyst.
Born and raised in Avon, Connecticut
, Alsop attended Groton School
and Yale University
. After graduating from Yale in 1936, Alsop moved to New York City
, where he worked as an editor for the publishing house of Doubleday, Doran.
After the United States entered World War II
, Alsop joined the British Army
, because his high blood pressure precluded his joining the United States Army
. While training in England, Alsop met Patricia Barnard "Tish" Hankey, an Englishwoman, whom he would marry on June 20, 1944.
A month after the wedding, Alsop was allowed to transfer to the U.S. Army, and was immediately sent on a mission planned by the Office of Strategic Services
. For the mission, Alsop was parachuted into the Périgord
region of France
to aid the French Resistance
. Alsop was later awarded the Croix de Guerre
with Palm for his work on that and other wartime missions. Alsop worked with and for the OSS for the rest of the war.
From 1945 to 1958, Stewart Alsop was co-writer, with his brother Joseph Alsop
, of the thrice-weekly "Matter of Fact" column for the New York Herald Tribune
. Stewart Alsop usually stayed in Washington and covered domestic politics, while Joseph Alsop traveled the world to cover foreign affairs. In 1958, the Alsops described themselves as "Republicans by inheritance and registration, and [...] conservatives by political conviction."
After the Alsop brothers ended their partnership, Stewart Alsop went on to write articles and a regular column for the Saturday Evening Post until 1968, then a weekly column for Newsweek
from 1968 to 1974.
He published several books, including a "sort of memoir" of his battle with an unusual form of leukemia
, Stay of Execution. At the end of his battle with cancer, he requested that he be given something other than morphine to numb the pain because he was tired of morphine's sedative effect. His doctor suggested heroin.
In Avon, Connecticut
, Stewart has a 53 acres (214,483.6 m²) public park named after him called Alsop Meadows.
, and the son of Joseph Alsop IV (1876–1953) and his wife Corinne Douglas Robinson
(1886–1971).
Stewart and Tish Alsop had six children, including investor and pundit Stewart Alsop II
and children's book author Elizabeth Winthrop.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
newspaper columnist and political analyst.
Born and raised in Avon, Connecticut
Avon, Connecticut
Avon is a town in the Farmington Valley region of Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. , the town had a population of 18,098.Avon is a suburb of Hartford. Avon Old Farms School, a prestigious boarding school, is located there. In 2005, Avon was named the third-safest town in America by...
, Alsop attended Groton School
Groton School
Groton School is a private, Episcopal, college preparatory boarding school located in Groton, Massachusetts, U.S. It enrolls approximately 375 boys and girls, from the eighth through twelfth grades...
and Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. After graduating from Yale in 1936, Alsop moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where he worked as an editor for the publishing house of Doubleday, Doran.
After the United States entered 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...
, Alsop joined the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, because his high blood pressure precluded his joining the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. While training in England, Alsop met Patricia Barnard "Tish" Hankey, an Englishwoman, whom he would marry on June 20, 1944.
A month after the wedding, Alsop was allowed to transfer to the U.S. Army, and was immediately sent on a mission planned by the Office of Strategic Services
Office of Strategic Services
The Office of Strategic Services was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. It was the wartime intelligence agency, and it was a predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency...
. For the mission, Alsop was parachuted into the Périgord
Périgord
The Périgord is a former province of France, which corresponds roughly to the current Dordogne département, now forming the northern part of the Aquitaine région. It is divided into four regions, the Périgord Noir , the Périgord Blanc , the Périgord Vert and the Périgord Pourpre...
region of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
to aid the French Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
. Alsop was later awarded the Croix de Guerre
Croix de guerre
The Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...
with Palm for his work on that and other wartime missions. Alsop worked with and for the OSS for the rest of the war.
From 1945 to 1958, Stewart Alsop was co-writer, with his brother Joseph Alsop
Joseph Alsop
Joseph Wright Alsop V was an American journalist and syndicated newspaper columnist from the 1930s through the 1970s.-Early years:...
, of the thrice-weekly "Matter of Fact" column for the New York Herald Tribune
New York Herald Tribune
The New York Herald Tribune was a daily newspaper created in 1924 when the New York Tribune acquired the New York Herald.Other predecessors, which had earlier merged into the New York Tribune, included the original The New Yorker newsweekly , and the Whig Party's Log Cabin.The paper was home to...
. Stewart Alsop usually stayed in Washington and covered domestic politics, while Joseph Alsop traveled the world to cover foreign affairs. In 1958, the Alsops described themselves as "Republicans by inheritance and registration, and [...] conservatives by political conviction."
After the Alsop brothers ended their partnership, Stewart Alsop went on to write articles and a regular column for the Saturday Evening Post until 1968, then a weekly column for Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
from 1968 to 1974.
He published several books, including a "sort of memoir" of his battle with an unusual form of leukemia
Leukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
, Stay of Execution. At the end of his battle with cancer, he requested that he be given something other than morphine to numb the pain because he was tired of morphine's sedative effect. His doctor suggested heroin.
In Avon, Connecticut
Avon, Connecticut
Avon is a town in the Farmington Valley region of Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. , the town had a population of 18,098.Avon is a suburb of Hartford. Avon Old Farms School, a prestigious boarding school, is located there. In 2005, Avon was named the third-safest town in America by...
, Stewart has a 53 acres (214,483.6 m²) public park named after him called Alsop Meadows.
Family
Alsop was a great-nephew of Theodore RooseveltTheodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
, and the son of Joseph Alsop IV (1876–1953) and his wife Corinne Douglas Robinson
Corinne Alsop Cole
Corinne Alsop Cole was the daughter of Douglas Robinson and his wife Corinne Roosevelt and a niece of Theodore Roosevelt....
(1886–1971).
Stewart and Tish Alsop had six children, including investor and pundit Stewart Alsop II
Stewart Alsop II
Stewart Johonnot Oliver Alsop is a partner in Alsop Louie Partners, a venture capital firm. He was a general partner with New Enterprise Associates in Menlo Park, California...
and children's book author Elizabeth Winthrop.
Books
- Sub Rosa : The O.S.S. and American Espionage (1946, with Thomas BradenThomas BradenThomas Wardell Braden was an American journalist, best remembered as the author of Eight is Enough, which spawned a popular television program, and was co-host of the CNN show Crossfire...
) - We Accuse! The Story of the Miscarriage of American Justice in the Case of J. Robert Oppenheimer (1954, with Joseph Alsop)
- The Reporter's Trade (1958, with Joseph Alsop)
- Nixon & Rockefeller : A Double Portrait (1960)
- The Center : People and Power in Political Washington (1968)
- Stay of Execution : A Sort of Memoir (1973)
See also
- Operation MockingbirdOperation MockingbirdOperation Mockingbird was a secret Central Intelligence Agency campaign to influence foreign media beginning in the 1950s.The activities, extent and even the existence of the CIA project remain in dispute: the operation was first called Mockingbird in Deborah Davis' 1979 book, Katharine the Great:...
- Corinne Roosevelt RobinsonCorinne Roosevelt RobinsonCorinne Roosevelt Robinson was the younger sister of former President of the United States Theodore Roosevelt and an aunt of former First Lady of the United States, Eleanor Roosevelt.-Early years:...
, grandmother - Eleanor RooseveltEleanor RooseveltAnna Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945. She supported the New Deal policies of her husband, distant cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and became an advocate for civil rights. After her husband's death in 1945, Roosevelt continued to be an international...
, cousin - Theodore RooseveltTheodore RooseveltTheodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
, granduncle