William MacKay Laffan (1848 – 19 November 1909) was the publisher and editor of the ''New York Sun''. and a friend, correspondent and publisher of Mark Twain.

Biography

Laffan was born in Dublin and educated privately and at

Trinity College Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...

. Some years after completing his education he emigrated to the United States of America. Laffan's first job in journalism was as a reporter for the ''

San Francisco Bulletin The ''San Francisco Evening Bulletin'' was a newspaper in San Francisco, founded as the ''Daily Evening Bulletin'' in 1855 by James King of William. King used the newspaper to crusade against political corruption, and built it into having the highe ...

'', where he quickly became managing editor. He went on to be editor and part-owner of the Baltimore ''Daily Bulletin''. In 1877 Laffan went to work for the

New York Sun ''The New York Sun'' is an American online newspaper published in Manhattan; from 2002 to 2008 it was a daily newspaper distributed in New York City. It debuted on April 16, 2002, adopting the name, motto, and masthead of the earlier New York ...

, then owned by

Charles Anderson Dana Charles Anderson Dana (August 8, 1819 – October 17, 1897) was an American journalist, author, and senior government official. He was a top aide to Horace Greeley as the managing editor of the powerful Republican newspaper '' New-York Tribun ...

, as a general writer, often writing art criticism. From 1881 to 1884 he was art editor for

Harper & Brothers Harper is an American publishing house, the flagship imprint of global publisher HarperCollins based in New York City. History J. & J. Harper (1817–1833) James Harper and his brother John, printers by training, started their book publishin ...

. In 1884 he became publisher of ''The Sun'', and in 1887 founded the ''Evening Sun''. In 1897 Laffan, with the backing of

J. P. Morgan John Pierpont Morgan Sr. (April 17, 1837 – March 31, 1913) was an American financier and investment banker who dominated corporate finance on Wall Street throughout the Gilded Age. As the head of the banking firm that ultimately became known ...

, acquired the ''Morning Sun'' from Dana's estate, turning it into a mouthpiece for Morgan's interests. He also founded the Sun News Service (later renamed Laffan News Bureau), after a protracted conflict with the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...

. In 1900 he became President of the Sun Printing and Publishing Association. He died of appendicitis at his home in Lawrence, Nassau County, New York on 19 November 1909.

Artistic interests

Laffan took a keen interest in Chinese porcelain and engraving, compiling the catalogue (2 vols, 1904–1911) of the Morgan Collection of Chinese porcelains (on display in the

Metropolitan Museum The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

until 1915), which was completed after his death by Thomas B. Clarke. He also provided a preface to Stephen W. Bushell’s catalogue of the W. T. Walters collection of Oriental ceramic art. He was a trustee of the Metropolitan Museum, and sat on the acquisitions committee. Laffan provided the text for the volume ''Engravings on Wood'', which showcased the work of members of the Society of American Wood Engravers. *190
''Catalogue of the Morgan Collection of Chinese Porcelains''

Likenesses

His portrait was painted by

William Merritt Chase William Merritt Chase (November 1, 1849October 25, 1916) was an American painter, known as an exponent of Impressionism and as a teacher. He is also responsible for establishing the Chase School, which later would become Parsons School of Design. ...

around 1884.

Commemoration

His funeral service was attended by 500 mourners who travelled to

Lawrence Lawrence may refer to: Education Colleges and universities * Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States * Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States Preparator ...

on a special train from Long Island City, but by no members of his immediate family. In 1910, J. P. Morgan donated $100,000 to

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

to establish the William M. Laffan Professorship of Assyriology and Babylonian Literature in his memory.Yale University Office of Public Affairs
Nov. 6, 2009. Accessed 29 March 2010.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Laffan, William MacKay 1848 births 1909 deaths 19th-century American newspaper editors 19th-century American newspaper publishers (people) American newspaper publishers (people) American art collectors Deaths from appendicitis People from Lawrence, Nassau County, New York