author
George Henry Payne
1876–1945
A journalist and publisher with a strong feel for politics and public life, he wrote with the eye of someone who had seen American institutions from the inside. His work ranges from journalism history to books shaped by his connection to Theodore Roosevelt and early twentieth-century reform.
1 Audiobook
The Child in Human Progress
by George Henry Payne
About the author
Born in New York City in 1876, George Henry Payne was an American author, journalist, and publisher whose career moved between writing and public affairs. He is especially remembered for History of Journalism in the United States, a substantial early survey of the American press, and for books connected to public life and reform.
Payne was also active in politics. He served as Theodore Roosevelt’s campaign manager in the 1912 presidential election, a role that linked him closely with Progressive Era politics and helps explain the practical, civic-minded tone of some of his writing. Later in life, he served on the Federal Communications Commission, showing that his interests in media and public communication extended well beyond the printed page.
He died in 1945. For readers today, Payne is most interesting as a writer who stood at the meeting point of journalism, publishing, and American political history.