Max Lerner facts for kids
Max Lerner (born in 1902, died in 1992) was an American journalist and teacher. He was well-known for his newspaper column, which was published in many different newspapers. His ideas were sometimes seen as controversial, meaning they caused debate.
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Early Life and Education
Maxwell Alan Lerner was born on December 20, 1902, in Minsk, which was part of the Russian Empire at the time. His parents were Bessie (Podel) and Benjamin Lerner. His family, who were Russian-Jewish, moved to the United States in 1907. In the U.S., his father delivered milk to homes.
Max Lerner went to Yale University and earned a bachelor's degree in 1923. He first studied law there. Later, he transferred to Washington University in St. Louis and got a master's degree in 1925. He continued his studies and earned a doctorate from the Brookings Institution in 1927.
Career as a Journalist and Teacher
After finishing his education, Lerner started working as an editor. He worked for the Encyclopaedia of the Social Sciences from 1927 to 1932. He also edited The Nation (1936–1938) and PM (1943–1948), which were important magazines and newspapers. When PM was sold, he continued to write for its next version, the New York Star, until it closed in 1949.
His famous column for the New York Post began in 1949. Because of his strong opinions, he was even listed as one of the people that President Richard Nixon considered his political opponents. For most of his career, Max Lerner was seen as a liberal. This means he often supported ideas like social equality and government programs to help people. However, later in his life, some people saw him as more conservative. This was because he supported leaders like Margaret Thatcher and the government of President Ronald Reagan.
Besides his journalism, Lerner also taught at several universities. These included Sarah Lawrence College, Harvard University, Williams College, United States International University, the University of Notre Dame, and Brandeis University.
Important Beliefs and Family
Max Lerner strongly supported the New Deal. The New Deal was a series of programs and reforms in the United States during the 1930s. They were designed to help the country recover from the Great Depression.
Lerner was also a firm opponent of unfair treatment against African Americans. However, during World War II, he supported the decision to place Japanese Americans in special camps. This was a difficult time, and he believed that during wartime, civil liberties (people's rights) might need to be less important than national safety.
Lerner married Anita Marburg in 1928, and they divorced in 1940. He then married Edna Albers in 1941. Max Lerner passed away on June 5, 1992. His granddaughter is the actress Betsy Russell.
His Books
One of Max Lerner's most important books was America as a Civilization: Life and Thought in the United States Today, published in 1957. This book explored American culture and ideas.
Another book, The Unfinished Country, is a collection of more than 200 of his daily newspaper columns. These columns were written for the New York Post over more than ten years. In The Unfinished Country, he wrote a well-known quote: "The turning point in the process of growing up is when you discover the core of strength within you that survives all hurt." His 1990 book, Wrestling with the Angel, was about his long struggle with illness.
See also
In Spanish: Max Lerner para niños
