Biography:

William Randolph Hearst was a journalist, editor, and newspaper publisher.
He was born on April 29, 1863 in California.  He attended Harvard College for two years and was expelled for bad behavior.  In 1887, he purchased the San Francisco Examiner.  In 1895, he bought the struggling New York Evening Journal and dramatically increased its circulation by hiring skilled journalists and lowering production costs.  Hearst used sensationalist news stories to boost newspaper sales.  In 1898, Hearst accused Spain of the sinking the USS Maine off the coast of Cuba.  Although he did not have any real evidence for his claims against Spain, Hearst’s editorials enraged the American public and helped bolster support for American military involvement in the Cuban Revolution. 
Hearst served in Congress (1903-1907) and unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic Party nomination in 1904.  At the height of his career, he owned 28 newspapers and 18 magazines, as well as, several movie production and radio companies.  He died on August 14, 1951 in California.