Will Lang Jr.
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William John Lang Jr. (October 7, 1914 – January 21, 1968) was an American journalist and a bureau head for Life magazine.[1][2]
Early career
Lang was born on the south side of
In December 1940, Lang had an opportunity to get an interview with Massachusetts Congressman
World War II
During World War II, Lang became Bureau Head in Algiers, Italy, Paris, and Berlin. He also became friends with Bill Mauldin, Ernie Pyle, George Silk, John Steinbeck and Robert Capa. During the war, he wrote many biographies, including those of Lucian Truscott, Bill Mauldin, J. Elmer Spyglass, Creighton Abrams, and Canadian manufacturer Ludger Dionne.
Lang was the first American reporter in
Later on, he filed a report on The Battle of the Bulge alongside Col. Creighton Abrams, in which Abrams later mentioned in an article of Stars and Stripes.
Post-war
After the war, Lang continued his reporting in Europe and wrote reports on the rebuilding of Berlin and the fall of The Iron Curtain. During this time, in January 1948, his daughter Luisa was born. The Lang family's happiness was cut short in June when they heard of the Berlin Blockade. Lang was able to smuggle his family into France before the borders were closed.
In March 1950, one of his stories reported on the discovery of the coffins of German President
When Lang returned to the United States in May 1950, he became Bureau Head in
In 1961 while in Berlin, Lang witnessed the construction of the Berlin Wall. When he returned home in 1961, he was promoted to Deputy Regional Bureau Director of Life. In February 1963, he was promoted to Chief Bureau Head of Domestic and Foreign Departments for Washington, D.C.'s Life branch. On June 26, 1963, Lang returned to Berlin for a few days and witnessed John F. Kennedy's "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech.
In January 1965, he was promoted to Chief Regional Bureau Director for Life in Manhattan.[3][citation needed]
Lang died from a heart attack while on a skiing trip with his family in
where it was cremated.References
- ^ Hunt, George P. (February 2, 1968). "Will Lang 1914–1968". Life. Time Inc. p. 3.
- ^ "Will Lang, Headed Life News Bureaus". The New York Times. January 23, 1968. p. 43.
- ISSN 0024-3019.
External links
Quotations related to Will Lang Jr. at Wikiquote