William Allen White

William Allen White (1868-1944) was an American newspaper editor, author, and Progressive leader, best known for editing the Emporia Gazette and his famous 1896 editorial "What's the Matter With Kansas?" which propelled him to national fame. He authored numerous books including novels like In the Heart of a Fool, short story collections such as The Real Issue, and biographies of presidents Woodrow Wilson and Calvin Coolidge, while winning Pulitzer Prizes for editorial writing in 1923 and his posthumous autobiography in 1947. A spokesman for middle America, he advised presidents, ran for Kansas governor in 1924 against the Ku Klux Klan, and championed social reforms while remaining rooted in Emporia, Kansas. Emporia Gazette history, KU Journalism