Walter Williams (journalist)
| Walter Williams | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
July 2, 1864 Boonville, Missouri, USA |
| Died | July 29, 1935 (aged 71) Columbia, Missouri, USA |
| Cause of death | Pneumonia after a diagnosis of prostate cancer |
| Resting place | Columbia Cemetery, Columbia, Missouri, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Journalist and educator |
Walter Williams (July 2, 1864–July 29, 1935) was an American journalist and educator. He founded the world's first journalism school at the University of Missouri, and later served as the university's president. An internationalist, he promoted the ideals of journalism globally and is often referred to as "The Father of Journalism Education".
Williams was born in Boonville, Missouri in 1864. Both his parents died when he was just 14 years old, forcing Williams to quit school to help support his siblings. Though he quit attending school he was later graduated from Boonville High School in 1879. Williams got a job as an apprentice at the Boonville Topic making 75 cents a week. In 1884 the Topic merged with the Boonville Advertiser, and despite being just 20 years old Williams was hired as editor. Two years later he became a part-owner in the newspaper, and was also elected President of the Missouri Press Association. In 1888 he worked doing press releases for the Missouri State Penitentiary. After the warden began censoring his releases he resigned and began editing the Columbia Herald in 1889 and began making contributions to Jefferson City, Kansas City and St. Louis newspapers. He married Hulda Harned in 1892. In 1895 he was named president of the National Editorial Association. Working with his employer Edwin William Stephens through the Missouri Press Association, Williams helped to found the State Historical Society of Missouri in 1898.
In the late 1890s Walter Williams began lobbying the Missouri General Assembly and the Board of Curators of the University of Missouri to establish a school of journalism. Many newspaper editors and owners objected saying that reporters should follow the traditional apprentice route for training. However the General Assembly and the Curators eventually approved the addition of the College of Journalism in 1905 with Williams as dean. After some delay, the School of Journalism was finally established in 1908 with ninety-seven students served by three faculty members.
In 1902, Williams traveled to 27 nations on four continents to publicize the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair to the international press. As dean of the School of Journalism he continued to travel the globe, serving as a relentless publicist for both the school and the profession of journalism. In 1915, he was elected president of the Press Congress of the World; and led its first formal sessions in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1921. That same year, he lectured in Beijing and Shanghai, and established a department of journalism at China's Yenching University in 1928. One of his earliest actions as Dean was creating the University Missourian (now the Columbia Missourian) newspaper so that his students would gain practical hands-on experience running a newspaper while also receiving their education.
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