William M. Laffan
| William MacKay Laffan | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1848 Dublin, Ireland |
| Died | 19 November 1909 (aged 60–61) Lawrence, Nassau County, New York |
| Education | Trinity College Dublin |
| Occupation | art critic, editor, publisher, newspaper proprietor |
| Notable credit(s) | The Sun (New York) |
| Spouse(s) | Georgiana Tompkins Radcliffe |
| Relatives | May Hartley |
William MacKay Laffan (1848 – 19 November, 1909) was the publisher and editor of the New York Sun in the final years of the 19th century and the first years of the 20th, and a friend, correspondent and publisher of Mark Twain.
Laffan was born in Dublin and educated privately and at Trinity College Dublin. Some years after completing his education he emigrated to the United States of America. He died of appendicitis at his Long Island home in Lawrence on 19 November 1909.
Laffan's first job in journalism was as a reporter for the San Francisco Bulletin, where he quickly became managing editor. He went on to be editor and part-owner of the Baltimore Daily Bulletin.
In 1877 Laffan went to work for the New York Sun, then owned by Charles Anderson Dana, as a general writer, often writing art criticism. From 1881 to 1884 he was art editor for Harper & Brothers.
In 1884 he became publisher of The Sun, and in 1887 founded the Evening Sun. In 1897 Laffan, with the backing of J. P. Morgan, acquired the Morning Sun from Dana's estate, turning it into a mouthpiece for Morgan's interests. He also founded the Sun News Service (later renamed Laffan News Bureau), after a protracted conflict with the Associated Press.
In 1900 he became President of the Sun Printing and Publishing Association.
Laffan took a keen interest in Chinese porcelain and engraving, compiling the catalogue (2 vols, 1904–1911) of the Morgan Collection of Chinese porcelains (on display in the Metropolitan Museum until 1915), which was completed after his death by Thomas B. Clarke. He also provided a preface to Stephen W. Bushell’s catalogue of the W. T. Walters collection of Oriental ceramic art. He was a trustee of the Metropolitan Museum, and sat on the acquisitions committee.
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