Eugene S. Pulliam
| Eugene S. Pulliam | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Eugene Smith Pulliam September 7, 1914 |
| Died | January 20, 1999 (aged 84) |
| Spouse(s) | Jane Bleecker |
| Children | Myrta Pulliam |
| Parent(s) |
Eugene C. Pulliam (father) Myrta Pulliam (mother) Martha Ott Pulliam (stepmother) Nina Mason Pulliam (stepmother) |
| Relatives |
Dan Quayle (nephew) Ben Quayle (great-nephew) Corrine Quayle (great-niece) Tucker Quayle (great-nephew) Tiffany Crane Quayle (great-niece-in-law) Everett Quayle (great-great-niece) Irvin Brown Pulliam (grandfather) Martha Ellen Collins Pulliam (grandmother) |
Eugene Smith Pulliam (September 7, 1914 – January 20, 1999) was the publisher of the Indianapolis Star and the Indianapolis News from 1975 until his death.
Pulliam began his journalism career as a child, delivering The Lebanon Reporter and The Indianapolis News. He later had an apprenticeship at the Reporter. After graduating from DePauw University in 1935, Pulliam worked for the United Press news service—in Chicago, Illinois; Detroit, Michigan; and Buffalo, New York. He then returned to Indianapolis to serve as news director of WIRE-AM.
He was in the Navy and Naval Reserve during World War II and retired in 1948 as a lieutenant commander. Pulliam then returned to the Star, serving as aviation editor, assistant city editor, and city editor. He was named managing editor of the News in 1948 and became assistant publisher of both papers in 1962 under his father, Eugene C. Pulliam.
Eugene C. Pulliam died on June 23, 1975, leaving his son to take over the helm. The Star won two Pulitzer Prizes during the younger Pulliam's tenure—one for a series on police corruption in 1975 and another on Indiana's medical malpractice system in 1991.
Unlike his father, "Young Gene" was quiet and calm and did not allow his conservative views to leak into the news columns. But he was also a penny-pincher and kept a close eye on the company's budget, except when the accountants suggested charging for obituaries. "People get mentioned in the paper only when they are born and when they die," he once said, "so we're not going to charge them for dying."
Pulliam was married to the former Jane Bleecker and they had three children.
Pulliam's half nephew, Dan Quayle, served as Vice President of the United States, from 1989 to 1993.
Pulliam died on January 20, 1999. Both he and his wife are buried at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis.
The Eugene S. Pulliam First Amendment Award is awarded annually by the Society of Professional Journalists in honor of Pulliam's dedication to First Amendment rights and values. The award seeks "to honor a person or persons who have fought to protect and preserve one or more of the rights guaranteed by the First Amendment."
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