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Marquis Childs, Former UI Student

Prize Work: For his work at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch; Pulitzer Prize: 1970 Commentary

Marquis Childs (born 1903, died 1990) was an American author.

Author Biography - A Pulitzer Prize for distinguished commentary was the crowning achievement of longtime journalist Marquis William Childs.

Childs, an expert on national politics, was born in Clinton. He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1923 and a master's degree from the University of Iowa in 1925. While living in Iowa City he taught English literature and met his future wife, Lue Prentiss, a professor's daughter. They had a son and a daughter.

Childs joined the United Press before forming a long relationship with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in 1926. He started out as a feature writer before moving to the newspaper's Washington bureau in 1934, where he produced his column, "Washington Calling." At its zenith, the column was syndicated in about 200 newspapers, including The Des Moines Register.

Childs traveled to Sweden in 1930 and gained an international reputation with his best-selling book "Sweden: The Middle Way," which documented that nation's cooperatives. The book inspired President Franklin Roosevelt to send a special commission to Europe to study cooperatives.

Childs was a news correspondent in Europe in 1945, writing from eight countries and many battle fronts.

His reputation was enhanced with such books as "This Is Democracy," "Eisenhower: Captive Hero" and "Mighty Mississippi: The Biography of a River." His novels included "Washington Calling" and "Taint of Innocence." He was well-known on the lecture circuit, often returning to Iowa to speak.

Childs received his Pulitzer in 1970, the first of its kind ever awarded. He died of a heart ailment.

(Source: The Des Moines Register)

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Learn More About Childs's Prize Winning Work

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Marquis Childs received his Pulitzer Prize not for one piece of work, but for many articles over the years during his employment with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. You can read current issues of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch online. You can also read some of his past articles online through Harper's Magazine.

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Bibliography - Marquis Childs

The Cabin (1944)

I Write from Washington (1942)

This Is Your War (1942)

Toward a Dynamic America (1941)

Washington Calling (1937)

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External Links on Marquis Childs

• Marquis Childs on Wikipedia

• Papers of Marquis Childs at the University of Iowa

• Essay on Marquis Childs

• Marquis Childs Profile at The Des Moines Register

• Articles by Marquis Childs at Harper's Magazine

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