Karl E. Meyer
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Karl E. Meyer (May 22, 1928 – December 22, 2019) was an
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...
-based
journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...
. The third generation of his family to be engaged in that occupation, Meyer's grandfather, George Meyer, was the editor of the leading
German language German (, ) is a West Germanic language in the Indo-European language family, mainly spoken in Western Europe, Western and Central Europe. It is the majority and Official language, official (or co-official) language in Germany, Austria, Switze ...
newspaper in
Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...
, the ''Germania''; his father, Ernest L. Meyer, was a columnist for ''
The Capital Times ''The Capital Times'' (or ''Cap Times'') is a weekly newspaper published Wednesday in Madison, Wisconsin, by The Capital Times Company. The company also owns 50 percent of Capital Newspapers, which now does business as Madison Media Partners. ...
'' in
Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...
and then the ''
New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates three online sites: NYPost. ...
''. In 1979, he joined
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
as the senior writer for foreign affairs, a position he held until his retirement in 1998.


Early life and education

Meyer was born in
Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...
. His career in journalism began while as an undergraduate at the
University of Wisconsin-Madison A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...
. During his junior year, he became the editor of ''
The Daily Cardinal ''The Daily Cardinal'' is a student newspaper that serves the University of Wisconsin–Madison community. One of the oldest student newspapers in the country, it began publishing on Monday, April 4, 1892. The newspaper is financially and editori ...
'', the student newspaper, while serving as the campus correspondent of the ''Milwaukee Journal''. During his senior year, he edited the university literary magazine, ''The Athenaean''. He received his MPA (
Master of Public Affairs A Master of Public Affairs (MPA or MPAff) is a professional graduate degree that provides training in public policy and the operation of government. Courses required for this degree educate students in public and non-profit management, policy ana ...
) from the
Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs The Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (''abbrev.'' SPIA; formerly the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs) is a professional public policy school at Princeton University. The school provides an array of c ...
at
Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...
. After being awarded a Proctor Fellowship, he earned a Ph.D. (in politics), also from Princeton University.


Career

After graduation in 1956, his career in foreign affairs began for ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
''. He also wrote a weekly column from America for the ''
New Statesman ''The New Statesman'' (known from 1931 to 1964 as the ''New Statesman and Nation'') is a British political and cultural news magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first c ...
''. Meyer won an Overseas Press Club award for his coverage of
Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...
, and during
the Cuban revolution The Cuban Revolution () was the military and political movement that overthrew the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, who had ruled Cuba from 1952 to 1959. The revolution began after the 1952 Cuban coup d'état, in which Batista overthrew ...
he interviewed
Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban politician and revolutionary who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and President of Cuba, president ...
in the
Sierra Maestra The Sierra Maestra is a mountain range that runs westward across the south of the old Oriente Province in southeast Cuba, rising abruptly from the coast. The range falls mainly within the Santiago de Cuba and in Granma Provinces. Some view i ...
. From 1965 to 1970, he was the ''Post''s London bureau chief where he became a weekly regular on
the BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current state ...
and a character in the humor magazine ''
Private Eye ''Private Eye'' is a British fortnightly satirical and current affairs (news format), current affairs news magazine, founded in 1961. It is published in London and has been edited by Ian Hislop since 1986. The publication is widely recognised ...
''. In 1968, he covered the Soviet invasion and occupation of Czechoslovakia. Returning home in 1970, he headed the ''Post''s New York bureau. Meyer was a television columnist and contributing editor of '' The Saturday Review'' from 1975 to 1979 and a contributing editor of ''
Archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...
'' from 1999 to 2005. He joined ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' editorial board in 1979, where he served until 1998 as the senior writer on foreign affairs and was a frequent contributor to the "Arts and Ideas" section. He was a member of the
Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Foster Peabody, George Peabody, honor what are described as the most powerful, enlightening, and in ...
s Board of Jurors from 1977 to 1983. After his retirement from the ''Times'', Meyer became editor of the ''
World Policy Journal ''World Policy Journal'' was the flagship publication of the World Policy Institute, published by Duke University Press. Focusing on international relations, the publication provided left-wing, non-United States-centric perspectives to world issu ...
'', published quarterly by the World Policy Institute, a position he held until 2008, when he became editor ''emeritus''. Meyer was a visiting professor at
Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...
,
Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university in Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts, United States, with additional facilities in Boston and Grafton, as well as Talloires, France. Tufts also has several Doctor of Physical Therapy p ...
's
Fletcher School The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy is the graduate school of international affairs of Tufts University, in Medford, Massachusetts. Fletcher is one of America's oldest graduate schools of international relations. As of 2017, the student b ...
,
Bard College Bard College is a private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. The campus overlooks the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains within the Hudson River Historic District ...
, and the McGraw Professor of Writing at Princeton. He was a Senior Associate Member of St. Antony's College, Oxford and fellow of
Green College, Oxford Green Templeton College (GTC) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. The college is located on the former Green College site on Woodstock Road next to the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter in North Oxford and is ...
University, the
Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin The Institute for Advanced Study in Berlin () is an interdisciplinary institute founded in 1981 in Grunewald, Berlin, Germany, dedicated to research projects in the natural and social sciences. It is modeled after the original IAS in Princeto ...
, and
Davenport College Davenport College (colloquially referred to as D'port) is one of the fourteen residential colleges of Yale University. Its buildings were completed in 1933 mainly in the Georgian style but with a gothic façade along York Street. The college ...
, Yale. He served as judge for the Peabodys, the
Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...
, and the Arnold Toynbee History Prize. He was also a member of the
Council on Foreign Relations The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank focused on Foreign policy of the United States, U.S. foreign policy and international relations. Founded in 1921, it is an independent and nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit organi ...
and the
Century Association The Century Association is a private social, arts, and dining club in New York City, founded in 1847. Its clubhouse is located at 7 West 43rd Street near Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. It is primarily a club for men and women with distinctio ...
.


Works

* with Shareen Blair Brysac.''The China Collectors: America's Century-Long Hunt for Asian Art Treasures''. New York: St Martin's Press, 2015. * with Shareen Blair Brysac. ''Pax Ethnica: Where and How Diversity Succeeds''. New York: Public Affairs, 2012. * with Shareen Blair Brysac. ''Kingmakers: The Invention of the Modern Middle East''. New York: Norton, 2008. * ''The Dust of Empire: The Race for Mastery in the Asian Heartland''. New York: Public Affairs, 2003. * with Shareen Blair Brysac. ''Tournament of Shadows: The Race for Empire in Central Asia''. Washington, DC: Counterpoint, 1999. * ''Pundits, Poets and Wits: An Omnibus of American Newspaper Columns''. New York:
Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...
, 1990. * ''The Art Museum: Power, Money, Ethics: a Twentieth Century Fund Report''. New York: Morrow, 1979. * ''Teotihuacan''. New York: Newsweek, 1973. . * ''The Plundered Past''. New York: Atheneum, 1973. * ''The Pleasures of Archaeology: A Visa to Yesterday''. New York: Atheneum, 1970. * ''Fulbright of Arkansas: The Public Positions of a Private Thinker''. Washington, DC: R. B. Luce, 1963. * with Tad Szulc. ''The Cuban Invasion: The Chronicle of a Disaster''. New York: Praeger, 1962. * ''The New America: Politics and Society in the Age of the Smooth Deal''. New York: Basic Books, 1961.


Personal life

Meyer married Shareen Blair Brysac, with whom he co-authored four books. He had two sons and a daughter.


References


External links


Biography at Pulitzer Center

Biography at World Policy Institute




*Obituary by The Guardian {{DEFAULTSORT:Meyer, Karl American male journalists Writers from Madison, Wisconsin Journalists from Wisconsin The New York Times columnists American people of German descent University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni 1937 births Princeton School of Public and International Affairs alumni 2019 deaths