Heber Blankenhorn
Heber Blankenhorn | |
---|---|
Ninth U.S. Army | |
Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
Awards | Legion of Merit (2) |
Alma mater | College of Wooster Columbia University |
Spouse(s) |
Mary Dewhurst (m. 1913)Ann Washington (m. 1936) |
Heber Blankenhorn (March 26, 1884 – January 1, 1956) was an American journalist, psychological warfare innovator, and union activist who served on the
Background
Heber Holbrook Blankenhorn was born in Orrville, Ohio, on March 26, 1884. In 1905, he obtained a BA from the College of Wooster. In 1910, he received an MA in history from Columbia University.[1][2]
Career
Journalism
In 1910, Blankenhorn joined the staff of the
He served as a propaganda expert in France during World War I.[1][2]
Labor activist
In 1919, he became co-director of the
By the early 1920s the
From 1921 to 1924, he wrote two books on steel unions and contributed to labor journals. In 1924, he joined the staff of Labor magazine.[1][2]
Federal service
In 1935, he accepted a position on the public relations staff for the
He returned to service for the U.S. Army during World War II (1942–1946) on a psychological warfare team and reached the rank of colonel.[1]
In 1946, he returned to service on the National Labor Relations Board and resigned in 1947.[1][2]
Return to federal service
In 1949, he directed a
Return to journalism
In the 1950s, he returned to journalism, based in Europe on staff to Labor magazine, then retired to Alexandria, Virginia, to write his memoirs.[1]
Personal life and death
In 1936, Blankenhorn married Ann Washington.[1][2]
He died on January 1, 1956, at home in Alexandria, Virginia.[1]
Awards
Blankenhorn received the Legion of Merit for service during World War II.[1][2]
In 2014, he received posthumous recognition as a Distinguished Member of the PSYOP Regiment (DMOR).[3]
In 2015, he received posthumous recognition from U.S. Army's John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School as the "original Silver Knight" of the PSYOP Regiment.[3]
Legacy: Psychological Warfare
Blankenhorn served as captain of the Psychologic Subsection (a.k.a. "Propaganda Subsection") (February–July 1918) in Military Intelligence Branch and then Propaganda Section (August–November 1918) during World War I. They had no directions or instructions. He led by improvisation 28 men to produce three million copies of 21 separate leaflets. He returned for similar service during World War II.[3]
Works
Books: Blankenhorn had not finished memoirs at his death in 1956:[1][2]
- Adventures in Propaganda (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1919)
- The Strike for Union New York, 1923
Articles:
- "Newspapers in Wartime" (1918)[6]
- "Marching Through West Virginia" (1921)[7]
- "After West Virginia - Somerset" (1922)[8]
- "Industrial Munitions: Report on Labor Policing Equipment in Industrial Plants" (1937)[9]
See also
- Psychological Operations (United States)
- Psychological warfare
- Special Operations Command
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "The Hebert Blankenhorn Collection" (PDF). Wayne State University. April 1971. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Blankenhorn, Heber, 1884-1956". Social Networks and Archival Index. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
- ^ a b c d "The PSYOP Regiment's Silver Knight" (PDF). Special Operations Command. April 1971. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
- ^ a b c Feigenbaum, William M. (11 February 1933). "New Leader Faces Its Tenth Year". The New Leader. New York, NY: American Labor Conference on International Affairs: 3.
- ^
Samson, Gloria Garrett (1996). The American Fund for Public Service: Charles Garland and Radical Philanthropy, 1922-1941. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 105. ISBN 9780313298738. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
- ^ Blankenhorn, Heber (16 March 1918). "Newspapers in Wartime". The Public.
- ^ Blankenhorn, Heber (14 September 1921). "Marching Through West Virginia". The Nation.
- ^ Blankenhorn, Heber (13 May 1922). "After West Virginia - Somerset". The Survey.
- ^ Blankenhorn, Heber (January 1937). "Industrial Munitions: Report on Labor Policing Equipment in Industrial Plants". Labor.
Sources
- "The Heber Blankenhorn Collection" (PDF). Wayne State University. April 1971. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
- Gall, Gilbert J. (August 2007). "Heber Blankenhorn: The Publicist as Reformer". Historian.
- Gall, Gilbert J. (3 July 2008). "Heber Blankenhorn, the La Follette committee, and the Irony of Industrial Repression". Labor History. pp. 246–253.
- Harper's Magazine
- Social Networks and Archival Index