Westbrook Pegler | |
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| Born | Francis James Westbrook Pegler August 2, 1894 Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | June 24, 1969 (aged 74) Tucson, Arizona, U.S. |
| Pen name | Westbrook Pegler |
| Occupation | syndicated newspaper columnist |
| Spouse | Julia Harpman Pegler (first), Maude Wettje Pegler (second) |
Francis James Westbrook Pegler (August 2, 1894 – June 24, 1969) was a Pulitzer Prize-winning U.S. journalist described as "one of the godfathers of right-wing populism".[1] He was a newspaper columnist popular in the 1930s and 1940s for his opposition to the New Deal, labor unions, and anti-lynching legislation.[2]
As an ardent proponent of States' rights, Pegler criticized a variety of targets whom he saw as extending the reach of the federal government, including Herbert Hoover, FDR ("moosejaw"), Harry Truman ("a thin-lipped hater"), and John F. Kennedy. He also criticized the Supreme Court, the tax system, labor unions, and any federal intervention on the issue of civil rights.[3] In 1962, he lost his contract with King Features Syndicate, owned by the Hearst Corporation, after he started criticizing Hearst executives. His late writing appeared sporadically in publications that included the John Birch Society's American Opinion.[4][5]
- ^ Blumenthal, Max (2010). Republican Gomorrah: Inside the Movement That Shattered the Party. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 435. ISBN 9781458766717. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
- ^ Brown, Mary Jane (2017). Eradicating this Evil: Women in the American Anti-Lynching Movement, 1892-1940. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781136712531. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
- ^ Green, Ben (1999). Before His Time: The Untold Story of Harry T. Moore, America's First Civil Rights Martyr. Free Press. p. 94. ISBN 9780684854533. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
- ^ Farr (1975)
- ^ "James Westbrook Pegler Papers". Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum. 13 November 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2020.