Ivy Ledbetter Lee (July 16, 1877 – November 9, 1934) is considered by some to be the founder of modern public relations, although the title could also be held by Edward Bernays. July 16 is the 197th day (198th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 168 days remaining. ... 1877 (MDCCCLXXVII) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... November 9 is the 313th day of the year (314th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 52 days remaining. ... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Public relations (PR) is the art of managing communication between an organisation and its key publics to build, manage and sustain a positive image. ... The front cover of Bernays 1928 book Propaganda Edward Bernays (November 22, 1891 - March 9, 1995) is regarded by many as the father of public relations, although some people believe that title properly belongs to some other early PR practitioner, such as Ivy Lee. ...

Early life and career

Ivy Lee was born near Cedartown, Georgia as the son of a Methodist minister, James Wideman Lee, who founded an important Atlanta family. He studied at Emory College and then graduated from Princeton. He worked as a newspaper reporter and stringer. Together with George Parker he established the US's third public relations firm, Parker and Lee, in late 1904. The new agency boasted of "Accuracy, Authenticity, and Interest." They made this partnership after working together in the Democratic Party headquarters handling publicity for Judge Alton Parker's unsuccessful presidential race against Theodore Roosevelt. Cedartowns historic Big Spring provides water to 10,000 people. ... The Methodist movement is a group of denominations of Protestant Christianity. ... This article is about the state capital of Georgia. ... Emory University is a private university in the city of Atlanta, Georgia. ... Princeton University is a coeducational private university located in Princeton, New Jersey in the United States of America. ... Stringer can have different meanings, including: In journalism, a stringer is a freelance journalist, who is paid for each piece of published or broadcast work, rather than receiving a regular salary. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... Founded in 1904 by Ivy Lee and George F. Parker in New York City, Parker and Lee was at one time the third largest public relations firm in the United States. ... 1904 (MCMIV) was a leap year starting on a Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States; the other being the Republican Party. ... Alton Brooks Parker (May 14, 1852 – May 10, 1926) was an American lawyer and judge and a U.S. presidential candidate in the 1904 elections. ... Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. ...

The Parker and Lee firm lasted less than four years, but the junior partner — Lee — was to become one of the most influential pioneers in public relations. He evolved his philosophy in 1906 into the "Declaration of Principles," the first articulation of the concept that public relations practitioners have a public responsibility that extends beyond obligations to the client. In the same year, after an accident with the Pennsylvania Railroad, Lee issued what is often considered to be the very first press release, convincing the company to openly disclose information to journalists, before they could hear information from elsewhere.^[1] 1906 (MCMVI) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1893 map The Pennsylvania Railroad (AAR reporting mark PRR) was an American railroad that was founded in 1846 and merged in 1968 into Penn Central Transportation. ... A news release or press release is a written or recorded communication directed at members of the news media for the purpose of announcing something claimed as having news value. ...

When Lee was hired full time by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1912, he was considered to be the first public relations person placed in an executive-level position. In fact, his archives reveal that he drafted one of the first job descriptions of a VP-level corporate public relations position.

Impact on public relations

Many historians credit Lee with being the originator of modern crisis communications. His principal competitor in the new public relations industry was Edward Bernays. In 1914 he was to enter public relations on a much larger scale when he was retained by John D. Rockefeller Jr to represent his family and Standard Oil, ("to burnish the family image"), after the coal mining rebellion in Colorado known as the "Ludlow Massacre". From then on he faithfully served the Rockefellers and their corporate interests, including a strong involvement in Rockefeller Center, even after he set up his own consulting firm. The front cover of Bernays 1928 book Propaganda Edward Bernays (November 22, 1891 - March 9, 1995) is regarded by many as the father of public relations, although some people believe that title properly belongs to some other early PR practitioner, such as Ivy Lee. ... John D. Rockefeller, Jr. ... Standard Oil (1870–1911) was a large, integrated, oil producing, transporting, refining, and marketing company. ... Ludlow massacre monument The Ludlow massacre was the death of about 20 people during an attack by the Colorado National Guard on a tent colony of 1,200 striking coal miners and their families, at Ludlow, Colorado on April 20, 1914. ... Lower Plaza at Rockefeller Center. ...

His instruction to the son of the Standard Oil fortune was to echo in public relations henceforth: "Tell the truth, because sooner or later the public will find out anyway. And if the public doesn't like what you are doing, change your policies and bring them into line with what people want". His influence on "Junior" was such that Rockefeller became dedicated to improving labor relations between businesses and their employees across the nation. Additionally, Lee is considered to be the father of the modern public relations campaign when, from 1913-1914, he successfully lobbied for a successful railroad rate increase from a reluctant federal government.

Lee espoused a philosophy consistent with what has sometimes been called the "two-way street" approach to public relations, in which PR consists of helping clients listen as well as communicate messages to their publics. In practice, however, Lee often engaged in one-way propagandizing on behalf of clients despised by the public. Shortly before his death, the US Congress had been investigating his work on behalf of the controversial Nazi German company IG Farben. An Australian anti-conscription propaganda poster from World War One Propaganda is a certain type of message presentation directly aimed at manipulating the opinions or behavior of people, rather than impartially providing information. ... Congress in Joint Session. ... National Socialism redirects here. ... IG Farben (short for Interessen-Gemeinschaft Farbenindustrie AG) was a German conglomerate of companies formed in 1925 and even earlier during World War I. IG Farben held nearly a total monopoly on the chemical production, later during the time of Nazi Germany. ...

Lee also worked for Bethlehem Steel, in which capacity he famously advised managers to list their top priorities and work on tasks in that order, not proceeding until a task was completed. For this suggestion company head Charles M. Schwab paid him $25,000. The Bethlehem Steel Corporation was the second largest steel producer in the United States, after US Steel but it is now part of the International Steel Group (ISG). ... Charles Michael Schwab (February 18, 1862 in Williamsburg, Pennsylvania - October 18, 1939 in London, England) was an American industrialist who became a multimillionaire in the steel industry but died bankrupt. ...

Through his sister Laura, Lee was an uncle to novelist William S. Burroughs. William Seward Burroughs II (pronounced ) (February 5, 1914 – August 2, 1997) was an American novelist, essayist, social critic, painter and spoken word performer. ...

Ivy Ledbetter Lee died in New York in 1934 at the age of 57.

See also

• Public Relations
• Edward Bernays
• Rockefeller family
• John D. Rockefeller Jr
• Standard Oil
• Press release

Public relations (PR) is the art of managing communication between an organisation and its key publics to build, manage and sustain a positive image. ... The front cover of Bernays 1928 book Propaganda Edward Bernays (November 22, 1891 - March 9, 1995) is regarded by many as the father of public relations, although some people believe that title properly belongs to some other early PR practitioner, such as Ivy Lee. ... The Rockefeller family, founded by John Davison Rockefeller (1839-1937) (Senior) and his brother William Rockefeller (1841-1922), is an American industrial/banking/philanthropic family of German-American origin that made the worlds largest private fortune in the oil business during the late 19th century, primarily through the Standard... John D. Rockefeller, Jr. ... Standard Oil (1870–1911) was a large, integrated, oil producing, transporting, refining, and marketing company. ... A news release, press release or press statement is a written or recorded communication directed at members of the news media for the purpose of announcing something claimed as having news value. ...

External links

• Short Biography
• Ivy Ledbetter Lee Papers

Bibliography

Writings by Ivy Ledbetter Lee:

Present-day Russia. New York: Macmillan, 1928.

"James Wideman Lee: biographical sketch." in, James W. Lee, The geography of genius. New York: Fleming H. Revell Co., 1920, p. xi-xxiv.

References

New York Times article of February 13, 2005, "Spinning Frenzy: P.R.'s Bad Press," by Timothy L. O'Brien. Timothy L. OBrien (1961- ) is an American journalist who has written for The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Talk Magazine. ...

Hiebert, Ray Eldon. Courtier to the crowd : the story of Ivy Lee and the development of public relations. Ames: Iowa State University Press, 1966.