1938: Pulitzer Prizes

The Pulitzer Prizes in Journalism and Letters for 1937 were awarded May 13, 1938, at Columbia University. These prizes, established in 1915 by a bequest to Columbia University of the late Joseph Pulitzer, have become the leading annual American literary awards. The judges are the trustees of Columbia University acting upon recommendations made by the Advisory Board of the Graduate School of Journalism.

The awards made were as follows: In DRAMA, the Pulitzer prize of $1,000 for an 'original American play performed in New York which shall represent the educational value and power of the stage, preferably dealing with American life,' was won by Thornton Wilder for his play 'Our Town,' dealing with events of small town life. The play was distinguished not only for the handling of its theme but also for its staging which was effectively done without scenery. In LITERATURE, the Pulitzer prize of $1,000 for 'a distinguished novel published during the year by an American author, preferably dealing with American life,' was awarded to John Phillips Marquand for his novel 'The Late George Apley,' dealing with the character, beliefs, and creed of a Boston conservative, as expressed in his correspondence with his liberal son. In the field of HISTORY, the prize of $1,000 for 'a distinguished book of the year on the history of the United States,' was won by Professor Paul Herman Buck of Harvard University for his carefully documented history of the reconciliation of the North and South after the Civil War, entitled 'The Road to Reunion, 1865-1900.' In BIOGRAPHY, the award was divided between two books: Odell Shepard's 'Pedlar's Progress,' dealing with the life of Bronson Alcott, and 'Portrait of a President,' the second volume by Marquis James on the life of Andrew Jackson, which with Volume I entitled 'The Border Captain,' published two years earlier, is generally considered the definitive biography of Jackson. The terms of this award provide that it shall go to 'a distinguished American biography teaching patriotic and unselfish services to the people, illustrated by an eminent example, excluding as too obvious the names of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.' In POETRY, the prize of $1,000 'for a distinguished volume of verse published during the year by an American author,' was awarded to Marya Zaturenska for her book entitled Cold Morning Sky.

In the field of JOURNALISM AND REPORTING, Raymond Sprigle of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette received the $1,000 prize for the best reporting of the year, for his series of articles supported by photostats of the essential documents uncovering the one-time membership of Justice Hugo L. Black in the Ku Klux Klan. Arthur Krock, Washington correspondent of the New York Times received the $500 prize for 'distinguished service as a foreign or Washington correspondent during the year.' This award was based on Krock's exclusive, authorized interview on Feb. 27, 1938, with the President of the United States on the subject of the President's political philosophy and social views. The award of $500 for distinguished editorial writing was won by W. W. Waymack, Associate Editor of the Des Moines (Iowa) Register and Tribune. This award was made on the basis of the general high level of editorial writing produced by Mr. Waymack, and no particular editorial was singled out by the judges. The award of a Gold Medal costing $500 for 'the most disinterested and meritorious public service rendered by an American newspaper during the year' was won by the Bismarck (North Dakota) Tribune, given for a series of news reports and editorials entitled, 'Self Help in the Dust Bowl.'

Vaughn Shoemaker of the Chicago Daily News received the $500 prize for distinguished service as a CARTOONIST, as exemplified by his cartoon entitled 'The Road Back,' published Nov. 11, 1937. This prize-winning cartoon depicted a soldier trudging the milestones leading back to 1914.

A special PUBLIC SERVICE award was voted for the first time to a newspaper outside of the United States. The Edmonton (Alberta, Canada) Journal was awarded a bronze plaque for its leadership 'in defense of the freedom of the Press' during a controversy with the Social Credit Provincial Government. With this award, engraved certificates were given to each of the six daily and ninety weekly newspapers in the Canadian province which joined in this controversy.