Erwin Canham
Erwin Canham | |
---|---|
Resident Commissioner of the Northern Mariana Islands | |
In office July 19, 1975 – January 9, 1978 | |
Preceded by | Position established |
Succeeded by | Carlos S. Camacho (Governor) |
Personal details | |
Born | Erwin Dain Canham February 13, 1904 Auburn, Maine, U.S. |
Died | January 3, 1982 Agana, Guam, U.S. | (aged 77)
Political party | Republican |
Spouse(s) | Thelma Whitman (m. 1924–1967) Sue Daltry (m. 1968–1982) |
Children | 2 |
Education | Bates College (BA) Oriel College, Oxford (MPhil) |
Erwin Dain Canham (February 13, 1904 – January 3, 1982) was an American journalist and author. He was best known for his work as the longest-serving editor of
Early life
Canham grew up in Maine, where, when he was as young as 8 years old, he began helping his father run a small newspaper in Sanford. He attended high-school in Auburn, Maine.[1] In 1925 Canham graduated from Bates College, where was captain of the debating team and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and he joined the Christian Science Monitor the same year.[2]
Career
Soon after starting work at the Monitor, Canham took leave to earn his bachelor's and master's degrees at
In 1939, Canham returned to Boston as a general news editor. Roscoe Drummond, a close friend of Canham's who replaced him as head of the Monitor's Washington bureau, gave Canham the nickname "Spike" because it was "the most incongruous one" he could think of for Canham's personality, since he was "such a scholarly type."[2] In Boston, Canham worked under editor Roland R. Harrison until taking over as chief editor in 1941, although under the title managing editor until 1944. In this position he had significant influence on how the Monitor covered World War II.[1] Canham became the Monitor's longest-serving editor, assuming the title editor-in-chief in 1964, and in 1974, retiring and being named editor emeritus.[2] During that time he reported on many major world events, including the founding of NATO and the United Nations, where he acted as a delegate to the United Nations General Assembly.[2][5]
Besides his work at the Monitor, Canham was involved in other civic and professional activities and organizations. He served as president and board chairman of the
In 1955, Canham helped mediate a cell block takeover at the
In 1958, he published the book Commitment to Freedom: The Story of The Christian Science Monitor which covered the paper's first 50 years as it dealt with world events such as the Great Depression, World War I and II, and more. Linda K. Fuller called the book "groundbreaking" and "the most comprehensive, authoritative account" of the paper's history up to that point.[6]
Resident Commissioner
In 1975, Canham was appointed by
He underwent abdominal surgery at Guam Memorial Hospital two weeks before his passing on January 3, 1982. At the time, he had been working on a book describing the history of the Northern Marianas Islands. His remains were interred in Guam.[7]
Legacy
Canham advocated for honesty and ethics in journalism. The Monitor won its first Pulitzer Prizes under Canham's leadership. While he was editor, "the Monitor was considered by most media critics as one of the most respected and influential publications in the country. It was especially lauded for its national and international reporting as well as for its writing style and typographical excellence" according to The Washington Post.[2] The Marianas Variety wrote that "[in] a political atmosphere often charged with acrimony and pettiness, he managed to remain fair, objective and untainted by narrow partisanship."[8] Walter Cronkite told Canham that the Monitor was "representative of the finest in independent, courageous and unbiased American journalism."[9]
In 1971, Canham received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement.[10]
Published works
- South Africa through American eyes. London: Public relations office, 1948
- The Authentic Revolution, etc. London: United States Information Service, 1950
- Awakening: the world at mid-century New York: Longmans, Green & Co, 1951
- New frontiers for freedom. New York: Longmans, Green & Co, 1954
- The Christian Science monitor; to injure no man, but to bless all mankind. 1908-1954. New York: Newcomen Society, American Branch, 1954
- Commitment to freedom: the story of The Christian Science Monitor. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1958
- Man's great future. (with Rob Nordell) New York: Longmans, Green & Co, 1959
- A Christian Scientist's Life. (printed with The Christian Science Way of Life by DeWitt John, another Monitor editor) Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1962
- The American position in the world. Claremont, CA: Claremont Colleges, 1965
- The ethics of United States foreign relations. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1966
- The Spiritual revolution. Boston: Christian Science Publishing Society, 1966
- Campus crisis. Boston: Christian Science Publishing Society, 1971
External links
- Official site of The Christian Science Monitor
- The papers of Erwin D. Canham, editor of The Christian Science Monitor
- Interview with Erwin Canham in The Christian Science Journal
References
- ^ a b c d Collins, Keith S. (2012). The Christian Science Monitor: Its History, Mission, and People. Nebbadoon Press.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Pearson, Richard (4 January 1982). "Erwin Dain Canham, 77, Editor of Monitor, Dies". The Washington Post.
- ^ "Erwin Canham". Rhodes Scholar Database. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
- ^ Canham, Erwin (1958). Commitment to Freedom. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. p. Picture, European Bureau, 1930.
- ^ a b The papers of Erwin D. Canham, editor of The Christian Science Monitor The Mary Baker Eddy Library.
- ISBN 978-0-313-37994-9.
- ^ a b (January 8, 1982). Tribute Paid to Canham's Memory. Marianas Variety
- ^ Liepman, Kurt (January 8, 1982). Erwin D. Canham - He Will Be Missed. Marianas Variety
- ^ Squires, L. Ashley. "All the News Worth Reading: The 'Christian Science Monitor' and the Professionalization of Journalism." Book History, vol. 18, 2015, p. 235. Accessed 29 June 2021.
- American Academy of Achievement.