White, William Allen (1868-1944), was a Kansas newspaper editor whose influence was felt throughout the United States. Major newspapers reprinted editorials that he published in his small-town newspaper, the Emporia (Kansas) Gazette. White won the Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing in 1923. His autobiography won a Pulitzer Prize in 1947.
White was born on Feb. 10, 1868, in Emporia. He studied at Emporia College and the University of Kansas, but left to become a journalist. He purchased the Gazette in 1895. In 1896, he wrote an editorial, “What’s the Matter with Kansas?” criticizing the Populist movement, which had widespread support in Kansas. The article made White famous, and he became the voice of Republicans in the Midwest. By 1901, he had become a supporter of Theodore Roosevelt and a Progressive (see Progressive Era ). White’s editorials then favored election reform, the investigation of oil and railroad monopolies, and other Progressive causes. In 1940, he worked for American support of the nations fighting Germany. He died on Jan. 29, 1944.
