- Lee, Ivy Ledbetter
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born July 16, 1877, Cedartown, Ga., U.S.died Nov. 9, 1934, New York, N.Y.U.S. public relations pioneer.He worked as a newspaper reporter before becoming press representative for a group of coal miners in 1906 and for the Pennsylvania Railroad Co. in 1912. His success in improving their public images brought him many powerful clients, including the Rockefeller interests. His greatest innovation was his frankness with the press, which he took care to notify of newsworthy developments at the companies he represented.
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▪ American publicistborn July 16, 1877, Cedartown, Ga., U.S.died Nov. 9, 1934, New York, N.Y.American pioneer of 20th-century public-relations (public relations) methods, who persuaded various business clients to woo public opinion.A graduate of Princeton University, Lee worked as a newspaper reporter in New York City from 1899 to 1903, when he joined the staff of the Citizens' Union. In 1906 he became press representative for a group of coal miners, and in 1912 he began representing the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Because of his success in improving the public image of his clients, his services were sought by major companies. By 1917 he had acquired a string of powerful clients, including the Rockefeller interests. Lee's greatest innovation was his frank, open policy toward the press; he not only answered reporters' queries but also notified the press of newsworthy developments within the companies he represented.Lee's clients included the American Red Cross during World War I, the German dye trust in the early Nazi era, and the American-Russian Chamber of Commerce in the era when the Soviet Union was striving for U.S. recognition.* * *
Universalium. 2010.
