Marshall Field IV
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Marshall Field IV (June 15, 1916September 18, 1965) was the owner of the ''
Chicago Daily News The ''Chicago Daily News'' was an afternoon daily newspaper in the midwestern United States, published between 1875 and 1978 in Chicago, Illinois. History The ''Daily News'' was founded by Melville E. Stone, Percy Meggy, and William Dougherty ...
'' from 1956 to 1965.


Early life and education

Marshall Field IV was born in New York City on June 15, 1916, to Evelyn (
née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...
Marshall) Field and
Marshall Field III Marshall Field III (September 28, 1893 – November 8, 1956) was an American investment banker, publisher, racehorse owner/breeder, philanthropist, grandson of businessman Marshall Field, heir to the Marshall Field's, Marshall Field departmen ...
. Among his siblings was Barbara Field, who also married three times (to Anthony Addison Bliss, Robert Kenneth Boggs, and George Peter Joseph Benziger, grandson of
James Joseph Brown James Joseph "J.J." Brown (September 27, 1854 – September 5, 1922), was an American mining engineer, inventor, and self-made member of fashionable society. His wife was RMS ''Titanic'' survivor Margaret Brown. Early life Brown was born in W ...
). Through his father's second marriage to Ruth Pruyn (the first wife of
Ogden Phipps Ogden Phipps (November 26, 1908 – April 21, 2002) was an American stockbroker, court tennis champion and Hall of Fame member, thoroughbred horse racing executive and owner/breeder, and an art collector and philanthropist. In 2001, he was induct ...
), he was the elder half-brother to Fiona Field, who married Jean Eugene Paul Kay. His maternal grandfather was merchant Charles Henry Marshall Jr. (who served as
Commissioner of Docks and Ferries of the City of New York The Commissioner of Docks of New York City was the head of the Department of Docks created by the New York State Legislature's 1870 revision of the New York City Charter, which returned numerous powers to the city government that had previously be ...
) and his paternal grandfather was Marshall Field Jr., the son of
Marshall Field Marshall Field (August 18, 1834January 16, 1906) was an American entrepreneur and the founder of Marshall Field's, Marshall Field and Company, the Chicago-based department stores. His business was renowned for its then-exceptional level of qua ...
, the founder of
Marshall Field and Company Marshall Field & Company (Colloquialism, colloquially Marshall Field's) was an American department store chain founded in 1852 by Potter Palmer. It was based in Chicago, Illinois and founded in the 19th century, it grew to become a large chain b ...
, the
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
-based
department stores A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store under one roof, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made ...
. His parents divorced and his mother remarried to Diego Suarez. His maternal uncle, Charles Henry Marshall III, was married to Brooke (née Russell) Kuser, the daughter of John H. Russell Jr. (16th
Commandant Commandant ( or ; ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ...
of the
Marine Corps Marines (or naval infantry) are military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included raiding ashore (often in supp ...
). After his uncle's death, Brooke remarried to
Vincent Astor William Vincent Astor (November 15, 1891 – February 3, 1959) was an American businessman, philanthropist, and member of the prominent Astor family. Early life Called Vincent, he was born in New York City on November 15, 1891. Astor was the eld ...
in 1953. He was educated at
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
, and the
University of Virginia School of Law The University of Virginia School of Law (Virginia Law) is the law school of the University of Virginia, a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819 as part of his "academical village", and now ...
.


Career

Field was commissioned as an Ensign in the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
in June 1942. He served as a gunnery officer aboard the aircraft carrier USS ''Enterprise'' in a number of engagements in the Pacific and was wounded during the
Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands The Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, fought during 25–27 October 1942, sometimes referred to as the Battle of Santa Cruz or Third Battle of Solomon Sea, in Japan as the Battle of the South Pacific ( ''Minamitaiheiyō kaisen''), was the fourt ...
. His conduct in the engagement won him the
Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against a ...
, the
Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the president to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...
, and the Presidential Unit Citation. He was discharged with the rank of Lt. Commander in 1944. He learned the newspaper trade as a reporter for the '' Chicago Sun'', owned by his father, from 1946 to 1948. He had a
nervous breakdown A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness, a mental health condition, or a psychiatric disability, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. A mental disorder is ...
and was briefly institutionalized following his father's death in 1956, then took up the reins as the owner of the ''
Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...
'' and
Field Enterprises Field Enterprises, Inc. was a private holding company that operated from the 1940s to the 1980s, founded by Marshall Field III and others, whose main assets were the '' Chicago Sun'' and '' Parade'' magazine. For various periods of time, Field En ...
. He also owned ''
Parade A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually some variety ...
'' magazine from 1956 to 1958 and purchased the ''
Chicago Daily News The ''Chicago Daily News'' was an afternoon daily newspaper in the midwestern United States, published between 1875 and 1978 in Chicago, Illinois. History The ''Daily News'' was founded by Melville E. Stone, Percy Meggy, and William Dougherty ...
'' in 1959.


Personal life

In 1938, Field was married to Joanne Bass (1915–2000), daughter of former
New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
Governor Robert P. Bass, in East Walpole, Massachusetts. Joanne was a graduate of the
Ethel Walker School The Ethel Walker School, also commonly referred to as "Walker's", is a private, college preparatory, boarding and day school for girls in grades 6 through 12 plus postgraduate located in Simsbury, Connecticut. History Founded in 1911, the ...
. The couple divorced in 1947 after having two children together: * Marshall Field V (b. 1941), who married Joan Best in 1964, and became the father of Marshall Field VI. * Joanne Field Langdon. His second marriage, which lasted from 1950 to 1963, was to Katherine Woodruff (later Fanning). She was a journalist who edited and published the ''
Anchorage Daily News The ''Anchorage Daily News'' is a daily newspaper published by the Binkley Co., and based in Anchorage, Alaska. It is the most widely read newspaper and news website (adn.com) in the state of Alaska. The newspaper is headquartered in Anchorage, ...
''. They married in
Joliet, Illinois Joliet ( ) is a city in Will County, Illinois, Will and Kendall County, Illinois, Kendall counties in the U.S. state of Illinois, located southwest of Chicago. It is the county seat of Will County, Illinois, Will County. It had a population of ...
, and before their divorce, they were the parents of three children:"Anchorage Daily News on the death of Kay Fanning"
''Peninsula Clarion'' (October 21, 2000). Retrieved August 9, 2013
* Frederick "Ted" Field (b. 1953), an entrepreneur and film producer. * Katherine Field Stephen * Barbara Field. His third marriage, to Julia Lynne Templeton, who previously worked in
public relations Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. Pu ...
, was in 1964, and ended with his death the following year. The couple had one child: * Corinne Field (b. 1965). Marshall Field IV died at his home in Chicago on September 18, 1965. While it was rumored that he had died of an accidental overdose, the
Cook County Coroner The Cook County Medical Examiner is the coroner of Cook County, Illinois. Occupants are credential medical examiners, appointed by President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, president of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, subject t ...
's office ruled his death as result of natural causes. His estate was valued at $25,500,000. He was buried at
Graceland Cemetery Graceland Cemetery is a large historic garden cemetery located in the north side community area of Uptown, in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Established in 1860, its main entrance is at the intersection of Clark Street and Irving Park R ...
in Chicago.


Legacy

There are two professorships at the
University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...
named after him, the Marshall Field IV Professor in Psychology and the Marshall Field IV Professor in Urban Education.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Field, Marshall IV 1916 births 1965 deaths 20th-century American newspaper publishers (people) Burials at Graceland Cemetery (Chicago) Marshall Field family Harvard University alumni Businesspeople from Chicago Recipients of the Silver Star University of Virginia School of Law alumni