Ralph McGill
 Ralph McGill     (journalist) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 5 February 1898 Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee, USA |
| Died | 3 February 1969 (Age 70) |
| Nationality | US |
| Interests | “racism” |
US journalist who wrote against racial segregation. Attended the 1957 February Bilderberg | |
Ralph McGill was a US journalist who wrote against racial segregation. He attended the February 1957 Bilderberg meeting.
Contents
Early life and education
McGill was born February 5, 1898, near Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee. He attended school at The McCallie School in Chattanooga, Tennessee and Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, but did not graduate from Vanderbilt because he was suspended his senior year for writing an article in the student newspaper critical of the school's administration. McGill was in the Marine Corps during World War I.[1]
Career in journalism
After the war, McGill got a job working for the sports department of the Nashville Banner and soon worked his way up to sports editor. In 1929, he moved to Atlanta, Georgia to become the assistant sports editor of The Atlanta Constitution. Wanting to move from sports to more serious news, he got an assignment to cover the first Cuban Revolt in 1933. He also applied for and was granted a Rosenwald Fellowship in 1938, which allowed him to cover the Nazi-German takeover of Austria in 1938.[2] These articles earned him a spot as executive editor of the Constitution, which he used to highlight the effects of segregation.[2] In response, many angry readers sent threats and letters to McGill. Some acted on the threats and burned crosses at night on his front lawn, fired bullets into the windows of his home and left crude bombs in his mailbox.[3]
Syndicated columnist
In the late 1950s, McGill became a syndicated columnist, reaching a national audience. In 1960, McGill was the only editor of a major white southern paper to cover the passive resistance tactics used by the students involved in the Greensboro sit-ins, although eventually other papers followed his lead.[2] He became friends with Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson, acting as a civil rights advisor and behind the scenes envoy to several African nations.
McGill died of a heart attack two days before his 71st birthday.
Event Participated in
| Event | Start | End | Location(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bilderberg/1957 February | 15 February 1957 | 17 February 1957 | US St Simons Island Georgia (State) | The earliest ever Bilderberg in the year, number 5, was also first one outside Europe. |
References
- ↑ https://archive.org/details/whoswhoofpulitze00bren/page/178
- ↑ a b c Roberts, Gene and Hank Klibanoff (2006). The Race Beat: The Press, the Civil Rights Struggle, and the Awakening of a Nation. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 0-679-40381-7.
- ↑ http://www.vqronline.org/articles/2003/autumn/lippman-mcgill-patterson/
