William S. Paley

William S. Paley (1901-1990) "developed the CBS radio and television networks, and ran them for more than a half century. "A 20th-century visionary with the ambitions of a 19th-century robber baron," as The New York Times described him, Paley took over a tiny failing network with only 16 affiliate stations and developed it into a world-class communications empire."

"Served as colonel, United States Army, World War II; deputy chief, psychological warfare division, Supreme Headquarters, Allied Powers (Europe); deputy chief, information control division, USGCC. Vice president, Congress Cigar Company, Philadelphia, 1922-28; president, CBS, Inc., New York City, 1928-46, chair of the board, 1946-83, founder and chair, 1983-86, acting chair, 1986-87, chair and director, 1987-90; partner, Whitcom Investment Company, 1982-90; founder, and member of board of directors, Genetics Institute, 1980-90; Thinking Machines Corp., 1983-90; co-chair, International Herald Tribune, 1983-1990; president and director, William S. Paley Foundation, Greenpark Foundation, Inc.

"Trustee: Museum of Modern Art, 1937-90, president, 1968-72, chair, 1972-85, chair emeritus, 1985-90; life trustee, Columbia University, 1950-73, trustee emeritus, 1973-90; North Shore University Hospital, 1949-57, co-chair, board of trustees, 1954-73; life trustee, Federation Jewish Philanthropies of New York. Member: board of directors, W. Averill Harriman Institute for Advanced Study of Soviet Union, Columbia University; Commission for White House Conference on Education, 1954-56; chair, President's Materials for Policy Commission, which produced "Resources for Freedom," 1951-52; executive committee, Resources for the Future, 1952-69, chair, 1966-69, honorary member, board of directors, 1969-90; chair, New York City Task Force on Urban Design, which prepared "The Threatened City" report, 1967; Urban Design Council City, New York, 1968-71; founding member, Bedford-Stuyvesant D and S Corp., director, 1967-72; Commission on Critical Choices for America, 1973-77, Commission for Cultural Affairs, New York City, 1975-78; founder and chair of the board, Museum of Broadcasting, from 1976; Council on Foreign Relations; Academy of Political Sciences; National Institute for Social Sciences; Royal Society of the Arts (fellow)... First Amendment Freedoms Award, Anti-Defamation League, B'nai B'rith; Robert Eunson Distinguished Service Award, Association of Press Broadcasters; named to Junior Achievement National Business Hall of Fame, 1984. Died in Manhattan, New York, 26 October 1990."

Resources and articles

Related Books

• William S. Paley, "As It Happened. A Memoir", Garden City, NY; Doubleday, 1979.
• David Halberstam, "The Powers that Be", New York: Knopf, 1979.
• Robert Metz, "CBS: Reflections in a Bloodshot Eye", Chicago: Playboy Press, 1983.
• Lewis J. Paper, "Empire: William S. Paley and the Making of CBS", New York: St. Martin's, 1987.
• Robert Slater, "This...Is CBS: A Chronicle Of 60 Years", Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1988.
• Sally Bedell Smith, "In All His Glory: The Life of William S. Paley, the Legendary Tycoon and His Brilliant Circle". New York: Simon and Schuster, 1990.