Raymond Clapper

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Raymond Clapper
Born
Raymond Lewis Clapper

(1892-05-30)May 30, 1892
La Cygne, Kansas
DiedFebruary 1, 1944(1944-02-01) (aged 51)
Marshall Islands
NationalityAmerican
OccupationJournalist
Spouse
Olive Ewing
​
(m. 1913)​
Children1 son, 1 daughter

Raymond Lewis Clapper (May 30, 1892 –February 1, 1944) was a commentator and news analyst for both radio and newspapers[1] who was described in a Life magazine article as "one of America's ablest and most-respected journalists."[2]

Early years

The son of a farmer of Pennsylvania Dutch ancestry, Clapper was born in La Cygne, Kansas. When he was young, his father moved the family to Kansas City in order to take a factory job to better support his family.[3]

Clapper was a graduate of the University of Kansas.[4] In 1915, he was elected editor-in-chief of the University Daily Kansan, the campus newspaper.[5]

Newspapers

In the summer of 1916, while he was still enrolled at the University of Kansas, Clapper worked as a reporter for The Kansas City Star.[6] That fall, he began working for the United Press wire service in Chicago, Illinois.[7] In 1917, he was promoted to manager of UP's Northwest Bureau, which had headquarters in Chicago and served newspapers in western Canada and portions of six states.[8]

In 1923, Clapper was transferred to Washington, D.C., to report on politics there. Six years later, he was made the manager of UP's Washington operation.[9]

Clapper's success resulted to a large extent from "his objective writing style and his ability to explain the politics and policies of Washington for the average reader."[9] His reputation was enhanced nationally by an exposé, "Racketeering in Washington," that was published in 1933. Later that year he was hired by The Washington Post. A year later, he began a column, Between You and Me, which was distributed daily to 176 Scripps-Howard Newspapers newspapers.[9]

When he died, Clapper was still officially a political columnist for Scripps-Howard, but he was reporting on the invasion of the Marshall Islands during World War II.[4]

Marquis Childs took over Clapper's column Washington Calling when he died.[10]

Radio

Clapper was a newscaster for the Mutual Broadcasting System in the 1930s and 1940s.[11] In 1942, he replaced Raymond Gram Swing on Mutual's evening newscast when Swing moved to another network. A reviewer writing about Clapper's debut broadcast wrote, "His approach is colloquial, colorful and vivid ..."[12]

He also "read and interpreted" election results on NBC in November 1938[13] and was part of NBC's team of reporters covering the 1940 Republican National Convention.[14]

Clapper's success in newspapers and radio led to opportunities in public speaking. An article in the January 24, 1942, issue of Billboard listed Clapper among "top radio names who are currently lecturing or have recently lectured, and who have been getting between $1,000 and $1,500."[15]

Book

In 1944, Clapper's widow edited some of his columns into a book, Watching the World. It was published by Whittlesey House, McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc.[16] The book was described in a contemporary advertisement as containing "the cream of his work -- columns, broadcasts, articles ... reflecting outstanding events during those critical years."[17] The book included a 32-page biography of Clapper by Mrs. Clapper.[18]

Personal life

Clapper married Olive Ewing in 1913. They had a daughter and a son.[4][3]

Death

Clapper was killed February 1, 1944,[1] when an airplane in which he was riding collided with another plane during the World War II invasion of the Marshall Islands. "Both planes crashed into a lagoon," a news report said, leaving no survivors.[4]

Legacy

Clapper's legacy included the following:

References

  1. ^ a b DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 55. ISBN 978-0-7864-2834-2.
  2. ^ "Raymond Clapper". Life. March 13, 1944. p. 34. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
  3. ^ a b Bonner, Mrs. J.W. (September 3, 1944). "Mrs. Raymond Clapper Pens A Human, Moving Biography". Florida, St. Petersburg. St. Petersburg Times. p. 28. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  4. ^ a b c d Wilson, Lyle C. (February 3, 1944). "Raymond Clapper Killed In Plane Crash In Marshall Isle Invasion". Santa Cruz Sentinel. California, Santa Cruz. p. 1. Retrieved March 1, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  5. ^ "(untitled brief)". The Gazette Globe. Kansas, Kansas City. May 6, 1915. p. 2. Retrieved March 1, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  6. ^ "(untitled brief)". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. Kansas, Lawrence. May 20, 1916. p. 5. Retrieved March 1, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  7. ^ "Takes Position at Chicago". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. Kansas, Lawrence. September 14, 1916. p. 1. Retrieved March 1, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  8. ^ "K.C.K. Boy Wins Promotion". The Kansas City Kansan. Kansas, Kansas City. May 14, 1917. p. 1. Retrieved March 1, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  9. ^ a b c "Teaching Eleanor Roosevelt Glossary: Raymond Clapper (1892-1944)". The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project. The George Washington University. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
  10. ^ "Marquis Childs: Foreign Correspondent, Columnist". Los Angeles Times. 5 July 1990. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  11. ^ Sies, Luther F. (2014). Encyclopedia of American Radio, 1920-1960. Vol. 1 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 135. ISBN 978-0-7864-5149-4.
  12. ^ Burr, Eugene (October 3, 1942). "Raymond Clapper" (PDF). Billboard. p. 7. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  13. ^ "Election Returns" (PDF). NBC Presents. 1 (2). November 1938. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  14. ^ "Coming Radio Events" (PDF). Radio Guide. June 22, 1940. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  15. ^ "Lecture Bureaus Up Bookings of Radio Commentators, Especially Those Who Can Spiel on Far East" (PDF). Billboard. January 24, 1942. p. 5. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  16. ^ Clapper, Raymond; Clapper, Olive Ewing (1944). "Watching the World". Google Books. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
  17. ^ "(Horne's advertisement)". The Pittsburgh Press. July 10, 1944. p. 9. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
  18. ^ "Book by Clapper" (PDF). Radio Life. September 3, 1944. p. 28. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  19. ^ "Raymond Clapper Memorial Association Is Created". St. Petersburg Times. March 10, 1944. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  20. ^ "(untitled brief)". Indiana Gazette. Pennsylvania, Indiana. April 5, 2001. p. 25. Retrieved March 2, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  21. ^ a b Journalism Institute. "Raymond Clapper Memorial Award winners (1944 to 2011)". National Press Club. Retrieved Nov 15, 2023.
  22. ^ "S.S. Raymond Clapper Launched in Florida". Ohio, Toledo. Toledo Blade. May 22, 1944. p. 2. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  23. ^ "Raymond Clapper papers, 1908-1962". Library of Congress. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
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