Heywood Broun facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Heywood Broun
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Heywood Broun (c. 1935)
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| Born |
Heywood Campbell Broun Jr.
December 7, 1888 |
| Died | December 18, 1939 (aged 51) New York City, US
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| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Harvard University |
| Occupation | Journalist, sportswriter, columnist |
| Political party | Socialist |
| Spouse(s) |
Ruth Hale
(m. 1917; div. 1933)Maria Dooley
(m. 1933) |
| Children | Heywood Hale Broun |
| Awards | J. G. Taylor Spink Award (1970) |
Heywood Campbell Broun Jr. (December 7, 1888 – December 18, 1939) was an American journalist. He was a well-known sportswriter, newspaper columnist, and editor in New York City. He is famous for starting the American Newspaper Guild. This group is now called The NewsGuild-CWA. Broun was born in Brooklyn, New York. People remember him for writing about social problems. He always stood up for people who were not treated fairly. He believed journalists could help fix wrongs in society.
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Heywood Broun's Journalism Career
Heywood Broun was born in Brooklyn. He was the third of four children. His parents were Heywood C. Broun and Henrietta Marie Broun.
He went to Harvard University but did not finish his degree. He started his writing career covering baseball games. He wrote for the sports section of the New York Morning Telegraph.
Early Newspaper Work
Broun worked at the New York Tribune from 1912 to 1921. He became a drama critic there. Then he moved to the New York World (1921–28). While at the World, he began writing his popular column, It Seems to Me.
In 1928, he joined the Scripps-Howard newspapers. This included the New York World-Telegram. His column was published there for a while. Later, Scripps-Howard decided not to renew his contract. He then joined the New York Post. His last column appeared in that paper just two days before he passed away.
Drama Critic and Lawsuit
As a drama critic, Broun once wrote about an actor named Geoffrey Steyne. Broun said Steyne was the worst actor on the American stage. Steyne sued Broun, but the judge dismissed the case. The next time Broun reviewed a play with Steyne, he did not mention the actor at all. His last sentence in that review was, "Mr. Steyne's performance was not up to its usual standard." This was a clever way to still criticize the actor.
Writing for Magazines
From 1927 to 1937, Broun wrote a regular column. It was called "It Seems to Heywood Broun" for The Nation magazine. In this column, he sometimes criticized his other employer, the New York World. Because of this, the New York World fired him. Broun later left The Nation to write for The New Republic.
Running for Congress
In 1930, Broun tried to become a member of Congress. He ran as a Socialist. He did not win the election. One of his campaign slogans was, "I'd rather be right than Roosevelt."
Founding The Newspaper Guild
In 1933, Heywood Broun helped start The Newspaper Guild. He worked with other journalists like Joseph Cookman from the New York Evening Post, John Eddy from The New York Times, and Allen Raymond from the New York Herald Tribune. Today, The Newspaper Guild gives out an award each year. It is called the Heywood Broun Award. It honors journalists who do excellent work, especially those who help correct unfair situations.
Radio Show and Other Ventures
On February 8, 1933, Broun started his own radio show. It was called The Red Star of Broadway on WOR radio in Newark, New Jersey. Broun was known as "The Man About Town of Broadway." The show was sponsored by Macy's and also featured musicians.
In 1938, Broun helped create a weekly newspaper called Connecticut Nutmeg. It was soon renamed Broun's Nutmeg.
Heywood Broun's Personal Life
In 1915, he met a Russian ballerina named Lydia Lopokova. They became engaged quickly. However, she ended their relationship in 1916 to rejoin her dance group, the Ballets Russes.
On June 7, 1917, Broun married Ruth Hale. She was a writer and editor. Ruth Hale was a feminist. A few years later, she helped start the Lucy Stone League. This group worked for women to keep their own last names after marriage. Heywood and Ruth had one son, Heywood Hale Broun.
Friends and Interests
Broun was part of a famous group of friends called the Algonquin Round Table. This group met from 1919 to 1929. Other members included the writer Dorothy Parker and humorist Robert Benchley. Broun was often described as looking "like an unmade bed" because he was usually a bit messy. He was also very good friends with the Marx Brothers. He watched their show The Cocoanuts more than 20 times! Broun even joked that his tombstone would say, "killed by getting in the way of some scene shifters at a Marx Brothers show."
In November 1933, his wife Ruth obtained a divorce. In 1935, he married Maria Incoronata Fruscella Dooley. She was a widowed chorus girl known by her stage name, Connie Madison.
Later Life and Passing
Seven months before he died in 1939, Broun became a Roman Catholic. He had been an agnostic before this. He talked with religious leaders like Fulton Sheen before his conversion. Broun passed away from pneumonia at age 51 in New York City.
More than 3,000 people attended his funeral. It was held at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York. Many famous people were there. These included New York City Mayor Fiorello La Guardia and actress Tallulah Bankhead. Broun is buried in the Cemetery of the Gate of Heaven in Hawthorne, New York.
Heywood Broun's Legacy
In 1970, Heywood Broun received the J. G. Taylor Spink Award. This award is given by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
Heywood Broun has been shown in movies and TV shows.
- In the 1994 film Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle, actor Gary Basaraba played him.
- In the first season of the Amazon TV series Z: The Beginning of Everything, actor Tony Manna played Broun.
Works by Heywood Broun
- The A.E.F. (1918)
- Our Army at the Front (1918)
- The 51st Dragon (1919)
- Seeing Things at Night (1921)
- The Boy Grew Older (1922)
- Pieces of Hate (1922)
- The Sun Field (1923)
- Sitting On The World (1924)
- Gandle Follows His Nose (1926)
- Anthony Comstock: Roundsman of the Lord (with Margaret Leech) (1927)
- Christians Only: A Study in Prejudice (1931)
- It Seems to Me (1935) — A collection of his newspaper columns.
- Collected Edition (1941) — Another collection of his columns.
