William Randolph Hearst

1863 San Francisco, California – 1951 Beverly Hills, California

BiographyWilliam Randolph Hearst, Sr. was an American businessman, newspaper publisher, and politician known for developing the nation's largest newspaper chain and media company, Hearst Communications. He is known for his use of yellow journalism, focusing headlines on lurid stories. He was elected twice as a Democrat to the U.S. House of Representatives. Hearst began adopting more conservative and isolationist views following World War I and published favorable coverage of the Nazi Party and Germany following Hitler’s rise to power. His life served as part of the inspiration for Orson Welles’s film Citizen Kane (1941). Hearst Castle is a State Historical Monument in California and a designated National Historic Landmark.

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