John Turner Sargent Sr. facts for kids

John Turner Sargent Sr. (born 1924 – died 2012) was a very important person in the world of books. He was the main boss, called the president and CEO, of the Doubleday and Company publishing house. He led the company from 1963 to 1978. Under his leadership, Doubleday grew a lot. It changed from a smaller family business into a huge company. It even got involved in things like TV and baseball! John Sargent was also active in New York's cultural life.

Early Life and School

John Turner Sargent was born on Long Island, New York. He grew up in a town called Cedarhurst, New York. His grandfather was a famous plant expert named Charles Sprague Sargent. He was the first director of the Arnold Arboretum at Harvard University.

John's father worked in finance and was very successful. John went to a private school called St. Mark's School (Massachusetts). He also studied for a year at Harvard College. Then, he joined the Navy during World War II.

Family Life

In May 1953, John Sargent married Neltje Doubleday Kings. She was 18 years old at the time. Neltje was the granddaughter of Frank N. Doubleday. He was the person who started the Doubleday publishing company back in 1897. John and Neltje had a daughter named Ellen and a son named John Turner Sargent Jr..

After they divorced in 1965, Neltje Doubleday Sargent moved to Wyoming with their children. She bought a ranch there. She also helped restore and run a historic hotel called the Sheridan Inn. Neltje became a well-known abstract painter. In 2005, she received an award for her art in Wyoming.

John Sargent married again on December 21, 1985. His second wife was Elizabeth Nichols Kelly. She was an editor for Cosmopolitan magazine. Elizabeth also had two children, who became John's stepchildren.

His Career in Books

After World War II, John Sargent started working at Doubleday. He began as a copywriter, which means he wrote text for advertisements and books. He quickly moved up to higher jobs. He had worked there for many years before he married Neltje. He built his career in book publishing at Doubleday and Company. He led the company through a huge period of growth.

He worked on many different types of books. He edited poetry by Theodore Roethke. He also published popular books by authors like Stephen King. In the 1970s, he even hired Jackie Kennedy Onassis to work as an editor.

In 1963, John Sargent became the president and CEO of Doubleday. In 1972, his former wife, Neltje, tried to make the company public. This means selling shares of the company to many people. But her effort was not successful. Neltje's mother and brother supported John Sargent. They wanted to keep the company privately owned.

John Sargent was president and CEO until 1978. During this time, he helped the company expand a lot. It published more books and got involved in new businesses. By 1979, Doubleday was publishing 700 books every year. The company bought a textbook company. It also bought Dell Publishing Company, which included Dell paperbacks. Doubleday ran more than a dozen book clubs. One of the biggest was the Literary Guild. It also had over two dozen Doubleday bookshops across the country. Plus, it owned four companies that printed and bound books.

Sargent also led Doubleday to expand into "radio and television broadcasting and film production."

In 1978, Sargent became the chairman of the company. He served in this role until 1985. He worked with Nelson Doubleday Jr.. Together, they supported the purchase of the New York Mets baseball team. Doubleday was sold to another company, Bertelsmann, in 1986. This was the same year the Mets won a championship. After the sale, John Sargent became chairman of Doubleday's executive committee.

John Sargent also helped support many literary and cultural groups in New York City. He was very involved in the city's social life. For many years, he hosted a special Christmas Eve party just for single people.

Community Work

John Sargent was a trustee for several important organizations. He was a trustee of the New York Public Library. He also served the New York Zoological Society. And he was a trustee for the American Academy in Rome.

He passed away in 2012 when he was 87 years old. He had been in poor health after having a stroke. He was survived by his wife Elizabeth, his two children, his grandchildren, and his two stepchildren.

Awards and Recognition

In 2005, a special literary award was created in his honor. It was called the John Sargent Sr. First Novel Prize. This award helps new writers. It was established at the Center for Fiction.

The prize money for this award has grown to $10,000. Finalists on the shortlist each receive $1,000. As of 2012, Nancy Dunnan helps fund this award. She is a board member at the Center and an author. She also named the award after her father, Ray Flaherty. He was a journalist. So, the award is now called the Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize.

Sources

• "Book View - People, Duly Noted", Publishing Trends (April 2006)