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Joseph Pulitzer Joseph Pulitzer was born in Mako, Hungary on April 10, 1847, the son of a wealthy grain merchant of Magyar-Jewish origin and a German mother who was a devout Roman Catholic. His younger brother, Albert, was trained for the priesthood but never attained it. The elder Pulitzer retired in Budapest and Joseph grew up and was educated there in  private schools and by tutors. At the age of 17, in Hamburg, Germany, he encountered a bounty recruiter for the U.S. Union Army and contracted to enlist as a substitute for a draftee, a procedure permitted under the Civil War draft system. He enlisted for a year in the Lincoln Cavalry, which suited him since there were many Germans in the unit. He was fluent in German and French but spoke very little English. Later, he worked his way to St. Louis. While doing odd jobs there, such as muleteer,  bag gage handler, and wai ter , he immers ed himsel f in the cit y's Mer cant ile Librar y, studying English and the law. He joined the Republican Party. On December 14, 1869, Pulitzer attended the Republican mee tin g at the St. Louis Tur nhal le on Tenth Str eet, whe re par ty leader s nee ded a candidate to fill a vacancy in the state legislature. They settled on Pulitzer, nominating him unanimously, forgetting he was only 22, three years under the required age. In 1872, Pulitzer purchased the Post for $3,000, and then sold his stake in the paper for a  profit in 1873. In 1879 he bought the St. Louis Dispatch and the St. Louis Post and merged the two papers as the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, which remains St. Louis's daily newspaper. In his news pape r, Pul itz er spl ashed invest iga tive art icl es and edi tor ial s ass ail ing government corruption, wealthy tax-dodgers, and gamblers. This populist appeal was effective, circulation mounted, and the paper prospered. Pulitzer paid a price for his unsparingly rigorous work at his newspaper. His health was undermined and, with his eyes failing, Pulitzer and his wife set out in 1883 for New York to board a ship on a doctor -order ed Europe an vacation. Stubbornl y, instead of boardi ng the steamer in New York, he met with Jay Gould, the financier, and negotiated the  purchase of The New York World, which was in financial straits. He employed some of the same techniques that had built up the circulation of the Post-Dispatch. He crusaded against publ ic and privat e cor ruption, filled the new s columns wi th a spate of  sensationalized features, made the first extensive use of illustrations, and staged news stunts. The formu la worked so well that in the next decade the circulation of The World in all its editions climbed to more than 600,000, and it reigned as the largest circulating newspaper in the country.

Joseph Pulitzer & the Pulitzer Prize

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Joseph Pulitzer 

Joseph Pulitzer was born in Mako, Hungary on April 10, 1847, the son of a wealthy grain

merchant of Magyar-Jewish origin and a German mother who was a devout RomanCatholic. His younger brother, Albert, was trained for the priesthood but never attained it.The elder Pulitzer retired in Budapest and Joseph grew up and was educated there in private schools and by tutors.

At the age of 17, in Hamburg, Germany, he encountered a bounty recruiter for the U.S.Union Army and contracted to enlist as a substitute for a draftee, a procedure permittedunder the Civil War draft system.

He enlisted for a year in the Lincoln Cavalry, which suited him since there were manyGermans in the unit. He was fluent in German and French but spoke very little English.

Later, he worked his way to St. Louis. While doing odd jobs there, such as muleteer, baggage handler, and waiter, he immersed himself in the city's Mercantile Library,studying English and the law.

He joined the Republican Party. On December 14, 1869, Pulitzer attended the Republicanmeeting at the St. Louis Turnhalle on Tenth Street, where party leaders needed acandidate to fill a vacancy in the state legislature. They settled on Pulitzer, nominatinghim unanimously, forgetting he was only 22, three years under the required age.

In 1872, Pulitzer purchased the Post for $3,000, and then sold his stake in the paper for a profit in 1873. In 1879 he bought the St. Louis Dispatch and the St. Louis Post and

merged the two papers as the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, which remains St. Louis's dailynewspaper.

In his newspaper, Pulitzer splashed investigative articles and editorials assailinggovernment corruption, wealthy tax-dodgers, and gamblers. This populist appeal waseffective, circulation mounted, and the paper prospered.

Pulitzer paid a price for his unsparingly rigorous work at his newspaper. His health wasundermined and, with his eyes failing, Pulitzer and his wife set out in 1883 for New York to board a ship on a doctor-ordered European vacation. Stubbornly, instead of boardingthe steamer in New York, he met with Jay Gould, the financier, and negotiated the

 purchase of The New York World, which was in financial straits. He employed some of the same techniques that had built up the circulation of the Post-Dispatch. He crusadedagainst public and private corruption, filled the news columns with a spate of sensationalized features, made the first extensive use of illustrations, and staged newsstunts. The formula worked so well that in the next decade the circulation of The Worldin all its editions climbed to more than 600,000, and it reigned as the largest circulatingnewspaper in the country.

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In May 1904, writing in The North American Review in support of his proposal for thefounding of a school of journalism, Pulitzer summarized his credo: "Our Republic and its press will rise or fall together. An able, disinterested, public-spirited press, with trainedintelligence to know the right and courage to do it, can preserve that public virtue withoutwhich popular government is a sham and a mockery. A cynical, mercenary, demagogic

 press will produce in time a people as base as itself. The power to mould the future of theRepublic will be in the hands of the journalists of future generations."

Pulitzer left the Columbia University $2 million in his will and in 1912, one year after Pulitzer's death aboard his yacht, the Columbia School of Journalism was founded, andthe first Pulitzer Prizes were awarded in 1917 under the supervision of the advisory boardto which he had entrusted his mandate.

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The Pulitzer Prize

The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism,literature and musical composition. Prizes are awarded yearly in twenty-one categories.In twenty of these, each winner receives a certificate and a 10,000$ cash award. Thewinner in the public service category of the journalism competition is awarded a goldmedal, which always goes to a newspaper.

First Pulitzer prizes were awarded in 1917 in the following categories:

Reporting - Herbert Bayard Swope of New York World

Editorial Writing - New York Tribune

History - With Americans of Past and Present Days by His Excellency J.J. Jusserand

Biography or Autobiography - Julia Ward Howe by Laura E. Richards and Maude HoweElliott