Lorimer, George Horace

Lorimer, George Horace

(1868–1937) editor; born in Louisville, Ky. After early success in a meat-packing company and early failure as a retail grocer, he turned to reporting, and, in 1898, won a job from Cyrus H. K. Curtis as literary editor of Curtis's newly acquired Saturday Evening Post. He was soon promoted to editor in chief. In his long tenure (1899–1936) he attracted such talented contributors as Mary Roberts Rinehart, Ring Lardner, Sinclair Lewis, Kenneth Roberts, and John P. Marquand. Aided by a solid instinct for public taste, he succeeded in reaching a broad audience that, at the peak of the Post 's popularity, exceeded 3 million people. His editorials reflected a basically conservative view, and his vision of America was typified in the popular wholesome Post covers, especially those drawn by Norman Rockwell. Lorimer thought himself closely in tune with the American public and was dismayed toward the end of his career by the popularity of New Deal policies.

The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography, by John S. Bowman. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995. Reproduced with permission.