Paul Purman

Paul R. Purman (April 19, 1886 – April 18, 1937) was an American sportswriter. Purman had a lengthy career in journalism, but he is best known for his work in the years from 1916 to 1918 when his sports column was syndicated in hundreds of newspapers and he selected an annual All-America football team for the Newspaper Enterprise Association.

Paul Purman
BornApril 19, 1886
Monroeville, Indiana[1]
DiedApril 18, 1937 (1937-04-19) (aged 50)
Kentucky[2]
NationalityAmerican
OccupationSportswriter

Early years

Purman was born in 1886 at Monroeville, Indiana. His father James Nelson Purman was a merchant in Montpelier, Indiana, operating Purman, Johnston & Co.' Big Store. Purman attended preparatory school in Annapolis, Maryland, and was appointed to the United States Naval Academy.[3] However, he failed the physical examination "on account of an affliction of his eyes."[4] Purman enrolled instead at Indiana University Bloomington.[5] In 1907, he worked for the Indiana Pipe Line Company and the Ohio Oil Company.[6][7]

Journalist

Purman began his career in journalism with The Evening Herald in his hometown of Montpelier, Indiana. In August 1907, he accepted a full-time position as a reporter for the Bluffton Banner in Bluffton, Indiana.[8] In November 1907, he moved to Danville, Illinois as a reporter for a newspaper there.[9] He later returned to Montplier as the editor of The Evening Herald. He next joined the staff of the Marion Chronicle in approximately 1910.

From 1916 to 1918, Purman became a nationally syndicated sportswriter. He was affiliated with the Newspaper Enterprise Association, a syndicate of several hundred newspapers, and selected an annual college football All-America team for the NEA.[10]

In the 1920s, he returned to Cleveland and became the news editor for Midweek Magazine.[11]

Selected articles by Purman

References
  1. Date and place of birth from Draft registration card dated June 5, 1917, completed by Paul R. Purman, newspaper man. Ancestry.com. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 [database on-line]. Registration Location: Cuyahoga County, Ohio; Roll: 1832069; Draft Board: 1.
  2. Date and place of death from Kentucky death record for Paul R. Purman, born in Indiana, husband of Margaret Purman, son of James N. Purman and Flora Swaing. Ancestry.com. Kentucky Death Records, 1852-1953 [database on-line].
  3. "City News". The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette (Fort Wayne, Indiana). June 10, 1905.
  4. "City News". The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette (Fort Wayne, Indiana). June 24, 1905.
  5. "Local Brevities". The Evening Herald (Montpelier, Indiana). January 5, 1907.
  6. "Local Brevities". The Evening Herald (Montpelier, Indiana). May 21, 1907.
  7. "Local Brevities". The Evening Herald (Montpelier, Indiana). July 19, 1907.
  8. "Local Brevities". The Evening Herald (Montpelier, Indiana). August 3, 1907.
  9. "Local Brevities". The Evening Herald (Montpelier, Indiana). November 26, 1907.
  10. Alexander M. Weyand (1962). Football immortals. Macmillan. p. 67.
  11. "Financial Daily Planned for Cleveland". Fourth Estate. February 4, 1922.
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