Entrepreneur, U.S. Congressman. William Randolph Hearst Sr. was an American journalist, patron of the arts and media magnate, who was best-known as the founder of the Hearst Corporation and builder of Hearst Castle, at San Simeon, California. Born the only child of George and Phoebe Hearst, his father's vast fortune, which was built in some of the greatest gold and silver mines in United States, gave him many opportunities to see and experience the world. At the age of ten, Hearst and his mother toured Europe, gathering ideas and inspiration from the grandeur and scale of castles, art and history. This experience laid the foundation for Hearst's lifelong appreciation of the arts and fueled his aspiration to recreate this majesty for his own enjoyment. Returning to the United States, Hearst completed his primary schooling and then enrolled in St. Paul's Preparatory School in Concord, New Hampshire at the age of 16. He continued his education at Harvard University, excelling in journalism. He was the business manager of an undergraduate humor publication, "Harvard Lampoon." While at Harvard, he served as an apprentice under newspaper publisher, Joseph Pulitzer. His election to the "Hasty Pudding" theatrical group at Harvard revealed his talent and interest in drama. Hearst's journalistic career got an unplanned boost when his father obtained a local newspaper, the "San Francisco Examiner," as a settlement of a gambling debt. Asking his father for an opportunity, Hearst left college to become the owner of the "San Francisco Examiner" on March 7, 1887. After publicly nicknaming the small paper "The Monarch of the Dailies", he obtained the best equipment and staff available, modeling his newspaper after the Pulitzer style of sensationalism, often using "Yellow Journalism" to sell newspapers. "The Examiner" was immediately successful under Hearst's leadership. In 1895, Hearst purchased "The New York Morning Journal," becoming a direct competitor to his former mentor, Joseph Pulitzer. The "Journal" would become the second in a long list of newspaper holdings that Hearst acquired in the next decade of his life. At his peak, he owned over two dozen newspapers nationwide, serving a quarter of the newspaper population in the United States. Since the Cuban Revolution of 1895 was a key opportunity to promote his papers, he spent a large amount of effort supporting Cuba Librè, the Cuban insurgent forces, publishing headlines that offended Spain. After the mysterious explosion of the U.S.S. Maine, in Havana Harbor, Hearst's actions are thought by many to have seriously influenced events leading to the war with Spain. In 1903, Hearst married Millicent Wilson in New York City. Their honeymoon drive across the European continent inspired him to launch his first magazine, "Motor," which became the foundation for another publishing endeavor that is currently known as Hearst Magazines. The couple had five sons before their separation, which was related to him being unfaithful. With Hearst's interest in politics, he was elected as a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives as a Congressman from New York in 1902. After reelection in 1904, he unsuccessfully pursued the New York Governorship in 1906. Following his short political career, Hearst continued his endeavors in publishing and communications. In the 1920's he started one of the first print-media companies to enter radio broadcasting and in the 1940's he was an early pioneer of television. Hearst was a major producer of movie newsreels with his company Hearst Metrotone News, and is widely credited with creating the comic strip syndication business. King Features Syndicate, a Hearst corporation, became one of the largest distributors of comics and text features in the world. During his career, Hearst produced over 100 films including, "The Perils of Pauline," "The Exploits of Elaine" and "The Mysteries of Myra." In addition to his successful business endeavors, Hearst amassed a vast and impressive art collection that included classical paintings, tapestries, religious textiles, oriental rugs, antiquities, sculptures, silver, furniture and antique ceilings. Much of this collection found its home at Hearst Castle and Hearst's various other properties, while the remainder filled warehouses on both the East and West Coasts. Throughout his life, Hearst dreamed of building a dwelling similar to those he had seen on his European tour as a boy. Hearst Castle was to become the realization of this dream as he and architect Julia Morgan collaborated for 28 years to construct a castle worthy of those he saw in Europe. During construction, Hearst used the Castle as his primary residence, and it was here that he continually entertained the elite of Hollywood, politics and sports. While Hearst's Castle was never completely finished, it has been proclaimed a State Historical Monument and is designated as a National Historic Landmark. By 1947, his health was starting to decline. All of his sons followed their father into the media business. After his 1951 death, his son, William Randolph, Jr., was co-recipient with Frank Conniff of the 1956 Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting of interviews with Soviet premier, Nikita Khrushchev and his other associated commentaries in 1955. According to his wishes, the trust that controls his vast holdings in the Hearst Corporation will not be resolved until the death of the last of his grandchildren.