Kluge, John Werner (01577435): Difference between revisions

Line 28:

== Biography ==

John Werner Kluge was born on 21 September 1914 in Chemnitz, Germany. He came to the United States at eight through Ellis Island, grew up in Detroit learning English from scratch, and graduated from Columbia University in 1937 with a degree in economics. He became a U.S. Citizen the same year. German birth and fluent German later made him useful to Army intelligence.

John Werner Kluge was born on 21 September 1914 in Chemnitz, Germany. He came to the United States at eight through Ellis Island, grew up in Detroit learning English from scratch, and attended Wayne State University for two years, and graduated from Columbia University in 1937 with a degree in economics. He became a U.S. Citizen the same year. German birth and fluent German later made him useful to Army intelligence.

He volunteered before Pearl Harbor, expecting a year in uniform. After the United States entered the war he stayed for about four and a half years. On 7 December 1941 he was with an air-defense unit in the Los Angeles area. He went through Officer Candidate School and came out a second lieutenant—though a first sergeant once called him, jokingly, the laziest man on the post.

Line 42:

He helped stand up MIRS from almost nothing—even lifting light fixtures and desks from the Pentagon to furnish the place—and reported to Colonel Lovell at the Pentagon rather than to the on-site post commander, whom he dismissed as a “housekeeper.” He lived in Washington and drove out to 1142 each day.

After the war Kluge ~~built~~ Metromedia ~~and became~~ a major figure in American broadcasting and outdoor advertising. He married four times and had homes that included Virginia; he died in Charlottesville on 7 September 2010, at 95.

After the war Kluge became chairman and largest stockholder of the Metropolitan Broadcasting Corporation, successor to the DuMont network's stations, in 1958; renamed Metromedia in 1961, it made him a major figure in American broadcasting and outdoor advertising. In 1986 he sold the Metromedia television stations to 20th Century Fox for a reported $4 billion, forming the core of the new Fox network, and in 1987 ''Forbes'' ranked him the richest man in America. He gave $60 million to create the John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress, with its Kluge Prize, and more than $500 million to Columbia University, much of it for financial aid for undergraduates. He married four times and had homes that included Virginia; he died in Charlottesville on 7 September 2010, at 95.

== Research notes ==

Line 74:

* c. 1942 — Officer Candidate School; commissioned second lieutenant.

* c. 1942–1943 — Eight months in the Aleutians (assistant transportation officer, Dutch Harbor); cleared after a false German-spy accusation.

* 1958 — Became chairman of Metropolitan Broadcasting (renamed Metromedia in 1961).

* 1986 — Sold the Metromedia television stations to 20th Century Fox.

* 7 September 2010 — Died in Charlottesville, Virginia.

* Pre–Pearl Harbor — Volunteered for the U.S. Army.

@@ Line 28: / Line 28: @@
 == Biography ==
-John Werner Kluge was born on 21 September 1914 in Chemnitz, Germany. He came to the United States at eight through Ellis Island, grew up in Detroit learning English from scratch, and graduated from Columbia University in 1937 with a degree in economics. He became a U.S. Citizen the same year. German birth and fluent German later made him useful to Army intelligence.
+John Werner Kluge was born on 21 September 1914 in Chemnitz, Germany. He came to the United States at eight through Ellis Island, grew up in Detroit learning English from scratch, and attended Wayne State University for two years, and graduated from Columbia University in 1937 with a degree in economics. He became a U.S. Citizen the same year. German birth and fluent German later made him useful to Army intelligence.
 He volunteered before Pearl Harbor, expecting a year in uniform. After the United States entered the war he stayed for about four and a half years. On 7 December 1941 he was with an air-defense unit in the Los Angeles area. He went through Officer Candidate School and came out a second lieutenant—though a first sergeant once called him, jokingly, the laziest man on the post.
@@ Line 42: / Line 42: @@
 He helped stand up MIRS from almost nothing—even lifting light fixtures and desks from the Pentagon to furnish the place—and reported to Colonel Lovell at the Pentagon rather than to the on-site post commander, whom he dismissed as a “housekeeper.” He lived in Washington and drove out to 1142 each day.
-After the war Kluge built Metromedia and became a major figure in American broadcasting and outdoor advertising. He married four times and had homes that included Virginia; he died in Charlottesville on 7 September 2010, at 95.
+After the war Kluge became chairman and largest stockholder of the Metropolitan Broadcasting Corporation, successor to the DuMont network's stations, in 1958; renamed Metromedia in 1961, it made him a major figure in American broadcasting and outdoor advertising. In 1986 he sold the Metromedia television stations to 20th Century Fox for a reported $4 billion, forming the core of the new Fox network, and in 1987 ''Forbes'' ranked him the richest man in America. He gave $60 million to create the John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress, with its Kluge Prize, and more than $500 million to Columbia University, much of it for financial aid for undergraduates. He married four times and had homes that included Virginia; he died in Charlottesville on 7 September 2010, at 95.
 == Research notes ==
@@ Line 74: / Line 74: @@
 * c. 1942 — Officer Candidate School; commissioned second lieutenant.
 * c. 1942–1943 — Eight months in the Aleutians (assistant transportation officer, Dutch Harbor); cleared after a false German-spy accusation.
+* 1958 — Became chairman of Metropolitan Broadcasting (renamed Metromedia in 1961).
+* 1986 — Sold the Metromedia television stations to 20th Century Fox.
 * 7 September 2010 — Died in Charlottesville, Virginia.
 * Pre–Pearl Harbor — Volunteered for the U.S. Army.