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W. M. Kiplinger

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W. M. Kiplinger
Born
Willard Monroe Kiplinger

(1891-01-18)January 18, 1891
Bellefontaine, Ohio, U.S.
DiedAugust 6, 1967(1967-08-06) (aged 76)
Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.
Occupations
  • Journalist
  • editor
  • author

Willard Monroe Kiplinger (January 8, 1891 – August 6, 1967) [KIP-ling-er] was best known as the founder of Kiplinger, a publishing company located in Washington, D.C.

Kiplinger was born in Bellefontaine, Ohio,[1] to parents Clarence E. and Cora Miller Kiplinger.[2] He grew up on the north side of Columbus, Ohio. As a high school upperclassman he was editor of the school newspaper where one of the illustrators was Dudley Fisher. He attended Ohio State University from 1908 until 1912 and was a member of Sigma Pi Fraternity. He and Ray Evans recruited Fisher into the fraternity.[3] While at OSU he was editor of the school newspaper, The Lantern.[4] When he graduated he was one of the first two journalism graduates from the school. His first job after graduation in 1913 was with the Ohio State Journal.[5]

On June 20, 1914, he married his first wife, Irene Austin of Toledo, in Lucas County, Ohio.[6] She introduced him to Unitarianism and he was a member of the church for the rest of his life.[7] Their first child, a daughter named Jane Austin, died shortly after birth in 1916.[8] They had a son named Austin[9] and a daughter named Jane Ann[10] before divorcing. He married his second wife, Lillian "LaVerne" Colwell, in Harrisonburg, Virginia on May 18, 1936.[11] They had a daughter named Bonnie.[12]

He moved to Washington, D.C. in 1916 where he worked for the Associated Press.[13] He and his family attended All Souls Unitarian Church, which was the same church William Taft attended.[7] He started the company Kiplinger in 1920 as an "intelligence bureau" for out-of-town banks and businesses. He started The Kiplinger Letter in 1923 and in 1947 began publishing Kiplinger Magazine.[4] He also donated his time as a contributing editor to The Emerald of Sigma Pi magazine.[14]

In 1942 he published a book titled Washington Is Like That which focused on the inner organization of the federal government.[15]

In 1952 he played a large role in soliciting funds and local business support to help educational television station WETA-TV begin operations.[5]

Kiplinger's son Austin H. Kiplinger succeeded him as head of the publishing company.

Kiplinger Distinguished Contributions to Journalism is an award given by the National Press Foundation in his honor.[16] Laverne & Willard's daughter Bonnie had 2 children with her husband Eugene Watts, Kevin Watts in 1961, and Keith Watts 1963.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Famous Logan Countians".
  2. ^ "Ohio, County Births, 1841-2003". State of Ohio.
  3. ^ Upp, James R. (May 1953). "The Dudley Fisher Memorial Room" (PDF). The Emerald of Sigma Pi. Vol. 40, no. 1. pp. 3–5.
  4. ^ a b "Who we are". Kiplinger Programs.
  5. ^ a b "Kiplinger, W.M. (1891-1967)". Harvard Square Library.
  6. ^ "Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013". State of Ohio.
  7. ^ a b Notable American Unitarians 1936-1961. Harvard Square Library. 2007. pp. 129–130. ISBN 9780615147840. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
  8. ^ "District of Columbia Deaths, 1874-1961". District of Columbia.
  9. ^ "United States Census, 1920". National Archives and Records Administration.
  10. ^ "United States Census, 1940". National Archives and Records Administration.
  11. ^ "Virginia Marriages, 1785-1940". Commonwealth of Virginia.
  12. ^ "United States Census, 1940". National Archives and Records Administration.
  13. ^ "United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918". National Archives and Records Administration.
  14. ^ "The Staff". The Emerald of Sigma Pi. Vol. 14, no. 1. April 1927. p. 63.
  15. ^ "Washington Is Like That". Kirkus Review.
  16. ^ "W.M. Kiplinger Distinguished Contributions to Journalism Award". National Press Foundation.

Further reading

[edit]
  • Wells, Rob. The Insider: How the Kiplinger Newsletter Bridged Washington and Wall Street (U of Massachusetts Press, 2022) online review of this book
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