William Honan facts for kids

William Holmes Honan (May 11, 1930 – April 28, 2014) was an American journalist and author. He was known for leading the arts coverage at The New York Times in the 1980s. Honan also held important jobs at other well-known publications like New York Times Magazine and Newsweek.

He helped solve a big mystery: the theft of medieval art from Quedlinburg. This was when medieval treasures worth over $200 million disappeared from Quedlinburg, Germany, after World War II. Honan's search for these lost treasures, known as the "Quedlinburg Hoard," later became the topic of one of his books.

Early Life and Education

William Honan was born in Manhattan, New York, on May 11, 1930. His father, William Francis Honan, was a surgeon, and his mother, Annette Neudecker Honan, was a journalist. He had a brother named Park Honan, who became an academic and author.

Honan went to Oberlin College and earned a degree in history in 1952. Later, in 1955, he received a master's degree in drama from the University of Virginia. After serving in the Army, he moved to New York City. There, he helped with early political campaigns for Ed Koch, who later became a famous mayor. This is also when Honan started his career in journalism.

Journalism Career

Working at The Villager

From 1957 to 1960, Honan worked at The Villager, a local newspaper in downtown New York City. He is known for changing the paper from a small social news sheet into an important voice in Manhattan politics. As editor, Honan became a strong supporter of reform. He spoke out against the powerful political machine known as Tammany Hall. He also challenged the plans of urban planner Robert Moses, who wanted to focus on cars in the city.

Honan convinced the paper to support political candidates in 1959. The Villager published a long editorial that backed reform candidates. They were running against Carmine De Sapio, who was the last leader of the Tammany Hall machine. The editorial said De Sapio was involved in corruption. Even though De Sapio won that election by a small margin, The Villager correctly predicted it would be his "last hurrah." He lost the next three elections.

Time at The New York Times

Honan joined The New York Times in 1969. He started as an editor at the Times Magazine. He then became the editor of the Travel section in 1970. In 1974, he became the editor of the Arts and Leisure section.

In 1982, he was promoted to daily cultural news editor. He kept this job until 1988. After that, Honan became the chief cultural correspondent. This role meant he would report on and analyze new trends in all types of art for the newspaper's daily and Sunday sections.

Books Written by Honan

Ted Kennedy, Profile of a Survivor

Before the 1972 United States presidential election, many people thought Ted Kennedy might run for president. William Honan wrote several articles about Kennedy's life for the New York Times Magazine. These articles were based on interviews he conducted.

Honan then expanded these articles into his 1972 book, Ted Kennedy, Profile of a Survivor. The book covered Kennedy's early time in the Senate. It also discussed difficult times like the Chappaquiddick incident. The book looked at the period after the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy. It also included Kennedy's speeches against President Richard Nixon's war policies.

Visions of Infamy

Visions of Infamy is a book about Hector Charles Bywater. He was a leading journalist who wrote about navies in the early 1900s. Honan believed that Bywater was the person who planned Japan's naval war against the United States in World War II.

Bywater wrote a book in 1925 called The Great Pacific War. It was a fictional story about how Japan might fight the United States in a future naval conflict. It also described how the U.S. might respond. Honan pointed out in Visions of Infamy that both Japan and the U.S. used war strategies that were very similar to what Bywater had written. Honan thought this was more than just a coincidence.

Treasure Hunt: A New York Times Reporter Tracks the Quedlinburg Hoard

In 1997, Honan published Treasure Hunt: A New York Times Reporter Tracks the Quedlinburg Hoard. This book tells the story of the "Quedlinburg Hoard." This was a collection of medieval treasures, worth over $200 million, that disappeared in Germany at the end of World War II. Forty years later, they reappeared in a small town in Texas.

As the chief cultural correspondent for the Times, Honan followed many clues. He discovered that an American soldier named Lieutenant Joe T. Meador had taken these treasures. This was one of the biggest art thefts in history. The stolen items included a very old gospel book from the 9th century, called the "Samuhel Gospels." It had a jeweled cover. There was also a gospel reading book from 1513, also with a jeweled cover. Other items included special containers for holy relics and an ivory comb.

Personal Life

William Honan was married two times. His first marriage was to Sally Osbourne Hammond. They were married in Manhattan in 1960. This marriage later ended in divorce. His second marriage was to Nancy Burton, who was also a journalist. They were married for 37 years, until his death. They lived in Redding, Connecticut. Honan had two sons, Bradley and Daniel, and a daughter, Edith. Edith became a reporter for Reuters.

Death

William Honan passed away on April 28, 2014. He had a heart attack and died at Norwalk Hospital in Norwalk, Connecticut. He was 83 years old.