Iphigene Ochs Sulzberger

Iphigene Bertha Ochs Sulzberger (September 19, 1892 – February 26, 1990) was an American heiress, socialite, newspaper executive, philanthropist and former owner of The New York Times. She was the daughter of Adolph Ochs, wife of Arthur Hays Sulzberger, mother of Arthur Ochs "Punch" Sulzberger, paternal grandmother of Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr., and patrilineal great-grandmother of A. G. Sulzberger, who all served as publishers of the paper.

Iphigene Ochs Sulzberger
Sulzberger (left) in 1902
Born
Iphigene Bertha Ochs

September 19, 1892
Chattanooga, Tennessee
DiedFebruary 26, 1990 (age 97)
New York City
Alma materB.A. Barnard College
OccupationNewspaper executive
Spouse(s)Arthur Hays Sulzberger
ChildrenMarian Sulzberger Heiskell
Ruth Sulzberger Golden Holmberg
Judith Sulzberger Levinson
Arthur Ochs Sulzberger
Parent(s)Adolph Simon Ochs
Effie Wise
RelativesIsaac Mayer Wise (grandfather)
George Oakes (uncle)
John Bertram Oakes (cousin)
Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr. (grandson)
Arthur Golden (grandson)
A. G. Sulzberger (great-grandson)
Ben Dolnick (great-grandson)

Biography

Iphigene Bertha Ochs was born on September 19, 1892 and was the only child of Adolph Simon Ochs and Iphigenia (Wise) Ochs. Her father was then the publisher of The Chattanooga Times, and her mother was a daughter of Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, founder of Reform Judaism.[1] When Adolph purchased The New York Times in 1896, she moved with her parents to New York City. After being educated at private schools, including Sachs's School for Girls (that later became the Dwight School),[2] she entered Barnard College in 1910 and graduated in 1914 with majors in economics and American and European history.[3]

At Barnard, she met briefly with Arthur Hays Sulzberger, son of cotton merchant Cyrus Leopold Sulzberger. After college, she was reintroduced to him by her cousin, Julius Ochs Adler, who trained with Sulzberger in the military in Plattsburgh, New York.[4] The two fell in love and were married on Nov. 17, 1917.[1] Her husband joined The New York Times in 1918, while she spent the early years rearing her family. She gave birth to Marian Sulzberger Heiskell in 1918, Ruth Sulzberger Holmberg in 1921, Judith Sulzberger in 1923, and Arthur Ochs "Punch" Sulzberger in 1926.

Following her father's death in 1935, she became a trustee of The New York Times under his will, as well as one of the three trustees of his estate that had a controlling stake in it.[5] However, she was deemed ineligible to inherit the newspaper because of her gender.[6] Her husband was elected publisher the same year. As the publisher's wife, her role in the operations of the newspaper was described as one that often remained offstage but nonetheless vital, because as the family matriarch and the only offspring of Adolph Ochs, she exerted herself to maintain the familial unity necessary to jointly run a business and avoid feuds.[5][7] Under her stewardship, the newspaper survived many challenges to the industry and remained one of the most prestigious and respected news organizations as well as a leading source of international news.[1][8]

She played a role in helping her husband manage the newspaper after he was enfeebled by a stroke in his later years.[1] Her son-in-law, Orvil Dryfoos, succeeded him from 1961 to 1963, until he died of heart failure at 50.[9] He was succeeded by his brother-in-law and Sulzberger's only son Punch, who served as publisher from 1963 to 1992.

Sulzberger served as a director of The New York Times from 1917 to 1973, when she became director emeritus.[1]

Philanthropy

Sulzberger was known for her philanthropic activities. She was the president of the New York Park Association from 1928 to 1950. She was also a founding member of the Central Park Conservancy and helped to preserve and restore Central Park.[10] She also became a benefactor to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, of which her son served as trustee since 1968, and chairman from 1987 to 1998.[11][12] Sulzberger served on the board of trustees of Barnard College from 1937 to 1968 and helped with fundraising of the women's college.[4][13] A dormitory building and a parlor in Barnard College are named in her honor.[14][15] She was also a trustee of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.[4]

Family and Personal Life

Sulzberger passed away in her sleep at age ninety-seven on February 26, 1990.[4] At the time of her death, she was survived by four children, 13 grandchildren, and 24 great-grandchildren.[5] Her funeral at Congregation Emanu-El of New York was attended by well over a thousand people, including New York City mayor David Dinkins and former mayors Ed Koch and John Lindsay, Senators Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Abraham Ribicoff, former United States Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, District Attorney Robert Morgenthau, Brown University president Vartan Gregorian, Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham, and President of Museum of Modern Art William Luers.[16]

Her first daughter, Marian, a director of the newspaper, married Andrew Heiskell, chairman of Time Inc. after her husband Orvil Dryfoos passed away.

Her second daughter, Ruth, was a publisher of Chattanooga Times Free Press. Ruth's son, Arthur Golden, is a novelist who wrote bestselling novel Memoirs of a Geisha. Her other son, Michael Golden, is currently vice chairman of The New York Times Company and former publisher of the International herald Tribune. Holmberg's son-in-law, Edward Dolnick is a novelist as is her grandson, Ben Dolnick. Her other grandson, Sam Dolnick, is an assistant managing editor of The New York Times and was one of the candidates to succeed Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr. as the next publisher.[17][18]

Her third daughter, Judith, became a physician.

Her only son, Punch, served as publisher of the newspaper from 1963 to 1992. His son, Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr. remains the Chairman of The New York Times Company, a post he assumed in 1997. Arthur Jr.'s son A. G. Sulzberger became the publisher on January 1, 2018.[19] Punch's other grandson, David Perpich, served as a senior vice president in the company and oversees its standalone products.[20][21] He was another one of the candidates to be the next publisher of the newspaper, along with A. G. Sulzberger and Sam Dolnick.[18][22]

References
  1. "Iphigene Ochs Sulzberger Is Dead; Central Figure in Times's History". The New York Times. 1990-02-27. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
  2. "A Dwight History Lesson | Dwight School New York". www.dwight.edu. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
  3. Strom, Stephanie (1991-01-15). "Gift to Barnard Honors Iphigene Sulzberger". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
  4. "Iphigene Ochs Sulzberger | Jewish Women's Archive". jwa.org. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
  5. "Newspaper Heiress Iphigene Ochs Sulzberger Dead at 97". AP NEWS. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
  6. Tifft, Susan E. (2000). The trust : the private and powerful family behind The New York Times. Little, Brown and Co. ISBN 0-316-83631-1. OCLC 45105720.
  7. Scelfo, Julie (2016). The women who made New York. Basic Books. pp. 121–123. ISBN 978-1-58005-654-0. OCLC 961344163.
  8. Dunlap, David W. (2016-10-20). "1935-1988 | How to Succeed in Business (At Least This One)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
  9. Dryfoos, Orvil E. (1963-05-26). "Orvil E. Dryfoos Dies at 50; New York Times Publisher; Orvil E. Dryfoos, President and Publisher of The New York Times, Is Dead at 50 HE JOINED STAFF OF PAPER IN 1942 Served as a Reporter for a Year--Succeeded Sulzberger in 1961". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
  10. Teltsch, Kathleen (1987-09-22). "A Path in Central Park Ramble Is Dedicated". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
  11. Glueck, Grace (1987-05-13). "Sulzberger Is Elected Chairman of Met". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
  12. "In Memoriam: Arthur Ochs Sulzberger". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
  13. "Barnard Board Elects Mrs. a. H. Sulzberger". The New York Times. 1962-05-02. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
  14. Teltsch, Kathleen (1991-10-18). "Barnard Dorm Is Dedicated To Iphigene Ochs Sulzberger". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
  15. "On-Campus Spaces | Barnard College". barnard.edu. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
  16. Carmody, Deirdre (1990-03-01). "Mourners Recall Iphigene Ochs Sulzberger's Ideals". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
  17. Center, Loria; Street, Room 351 See map 190 York (2019-09-11). "Poynter Fellowship: Sam Dolnick". Office of Public Affairs & Communications. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
  18. "Inside the 3-Way Family Contest to Become the Next Publisher of the Times". Intelligencer. 2015-08-24. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
  19. Ember, Sydney (2017-12-14). "A.G. Sulzberger, 37, to Take Over as New York Times Publisher". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
  20. "David Perpich". The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
  21. "David Perpich to Lead Standalone Products and Ventures". The New York Times Company. 2020-01-30. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
  22. Levitz, Eric. "A.G. Sulzberger Vanquishes Cousins, Becomes Deputy Publisher of New York Times". Intelligencer. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
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