Alfred Harmsworth
| The Viscount Northcliffe | |
|---|---|
Portrait of Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe, by Gertrude Kasebier
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| Born |
Alfred Charles William Harmsworth July 15, 1865 Chapelizod, County Dublin, Ireland |
| Died | August 14, 1922 (aged 57) Carlton House Gardens, London, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | Stamford Grammar School, Stamford, Lincolnshire, England |
| Occupation | Publisher |
| Title | 1st Viscount Northcliffe |
| Parent(s) | Alfred Harmsworth & Geraldine Mary Maffett |
| Relatives |
Cecil Harmsworth (brother) Harold Harmsworth (brother) Leicester Harmsworth (brother) Hildebrand Harmsworth (brother) |
Alfred Charles William Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe (15 July 1865 – 14 August 1922) was a British newspaper and publishing magnate. As owner of the Daily Mail and the Daily Mirror, he was a pioneer of popular journalism, and he exercised vast influence over British popular opinion. Lord Beaverbrook said he was "the greatest figure who ever strode down Fleet Street." The turn of the century saw the rise of popular journalism aimed at the working class and tending to emphasize sensational topics. Harmsworth was the chief innovator. P. P. Catterall and Colin Seymour-Ure conclude that:
Northcliffe played a powerful role in the First World War, especially in attacking the government in the Shell Crisis of 1915. He headed the mission to the new ally, the United States, in 1917, and was director of enemy propaganda in 1918.
His Amalgamated Press employed writers such as Arthur Mee and John Hammerton, and its subsidiary, the Educational Book Company, published the Harmsworth Self-Educator, The Children's Encyclopædia, and Harmsworth's Universal Encyclopaedia.
Although born in Chapelizod, County Dublin, Harmsworth was educated at Stamford School in Lincolnshire, England, from 1876 and at Henley House School in Kilburn, London from 1878. A master at Henley House who was to prove important to his future was J. V. Milne, the father of A. A. Milne, who according to H. G. Wells was at school with him at the time and encouraged him to start the school magazine.
He was the elder brother of Harold Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Rothermere, Cecil Harmsworth, 1st Baron Harmsworth, Sir Leicester Harmsworth, 1st Baronet and Sir Hildebrand Harmsworth, 1st Baronet. Beginning as a freelance journalist, he founded his first newspaper, Answers (original title: Answers to Correspondents), and was later assisted by his brother Harold, who was adept in business matters. Harmsworth had an intuitive sense for what the reading public wanted to buy, and began a series of cheap but successful periodicals, such as Comic Cuts (tagline: "Amusing without being Vulgar") and the journal Forget-Me-Not for women. From these periodicals, he built what was then the largest periodical publishing empire in the world, Amalgamated Press.
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