Randolph Apperson Hearst
| Randolph Apperson Hearst | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 2, 1915 |
| Died |
December 18, 2000 (aged 85) New York Presbyterian Hospital Manhattan |
| Cause of death | Stroke |
| Education | Harvard University (1938) |
| Employer | Hearst Corporation |
| Spouse(s) |
Catherine Wood Campbell Maria Cynthia Scruggs Veronica de Gruyter |
| Children |
Catherine M. Hill (1939-2009) Virginia Anne Randt (b. 1949) Patricia Hearst (b. 1954) Anne Hearst (b. 1956) Victoria Hearst (b. 1957) |
| Parent(s) | William Randolph Hearst, Millicent Hearst |
Randolph Apperson Hearst (December 2, 1915 – December 18, 2000) was the fourth and last surviving son of William Randolph Hearst and Millicent Hearst. His twin brother, David, died in 1986. Randolph is the father of Patty Hearst.
Life
After his graduation from Harvard University in 1938, Randolph Hearst joined the family business, the Hearst Corporation. Long active in management of the San Francisco Examiner, he eventually became chairman of the Hearst board (1973-96), at which time he retired in favor of his nephew, George Randolph Hearst, Jr.
He never had the opportunity to become Chief Executive Officer, because his father's will established a trust that had five family (initially his sons, then their heirs) and eight non-family trustees, all serving for life and electing their successors maintaining those proportions. The trustees name the corporation's board of directors, and the trust does not dissolve until all grandchildren of William Randolph Hearst alive at his death have died. It was under Randolph Hearst's chairmanship that the chief executive inherited from his father, Richard E. Berlin, finally retired, but the next three presidents were all also non-family trustees.
On his death, Randolph Hearst's seat as a trustee of his father's will went to Virginia Hearst Randt, second-oldest of his five daughters.
Randolph Hearst was married three times, first in 1938 to Catherine Wood Campbell of Atlanta, Georgia who was the mother of his five daughters, Catherine, Virginia, Patricia, Anne and Victoria. Catherine Hearst was a Roman Catholic and a conservative Regent of the University of California before resigning in 1976.
In 1974, Patty Hearst made front pages nationwide when she was kidnapped by an extremist group, the Symbionese Liberation Army, and was soon after caught on film helping the group to rob banks. She renounced the SLA soon after her arrest.[1] The ordeal placed enormous strain on the Hearst marriage, eventually leading to divorce. After their divorce, the first Mrs. Hearst moved to Beverly Hills.
Randolph Hearst divorced his second wife, Maria Cynthia Scruggs (née Pachì), originally of Rome Italy, in 1987 to marry a third wife, Veronica de Gruyter (formerly de Beracasa y de Uribe) that same year. Thirteen years later, the third Mrs. Hearst survived and inherited from him.
He died at the age of 85.[2]
References
- ↑ In 1979, after 22 months in prison, Patty Hearst's sentence was commuted by President Jimmy Carter. She was fully pardoned in 2001 by President Bill Clinton.
- ↑ Barringer, Felicity (December 19, 2000). "Randolph A. Hearst, Whose Father Built Newspaper Empire, Is Dead at 85. Randolph A Hearst, last surviving son of William Randolph Hearst, dies at age 85". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-07-24.
Randolph A. Hearst, the last surviving son of the man who shook American journalism and politics in the early part of the 20th century, died yesterday at New York Presbyterian Hospital. In the 1970s, he ran his father's flagship, The San Francisco Examiner, as it covered the kidnapping and brief criminal career of his own daughter. Mr. Hearst, who was 85, died of a stroke, according to a statement issued by The Hearst Corporation. Mr. Hearst lived in New York with his wife, Veronica de Uribe.