William Thomas Stead

Also known as William Stead, William T. Stead

English newspaper editor (1849–1912)

Key facts

Born: William Thomas Stead , ( 1849-07-05 ) 5 July 1849, Embleton, Northumberland , England
Died: 15 April 1912 (1912-04-15) (aged 62), North Atlantic Ocean
Monuments: New York City: 91st St and Central Park East London: Victoria Embankment near to Fleet Street Outside Darlington Library, Crown Street, Darlington, County Durham, DL1 1ND, Great Britain
Education: Silcoates School
Occupation: Newspaper editor
Notable work: The Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon
Style: Sensationalism

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Wikidata facts

Instance of: human
Given name: Thomas
Gender: male
Citizenship: United Kingdom
Place of birth: Northumberland
Place of death: North Atlantic Ocean
Position held: editor-in-chief
Languages spoken: English language
Image: William Thomas Stead.jpg

Show 13 more facts

name: ويليام ستيد
place of burial: North Shields
Commons gallery: William Thomas Stead
Commons category: William Thomas Stead
date of birth: 1849-07-05
date of death: 1912-04-15
nominated for: Nobel Peace Prize
writing language: English language
Commons Creator page: William Thomas Stead
cause of death: drowning
manner of death: accidental death
name in native language: William Thomas Stead
P12749: Princess Louise Auguste of Denmark

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Encyclopedic overview

William Thomas Stead (5 July 1849 – 15 April 1912) was an English newspaper editor who, as a pioneer of investigative journalism, became a controversial figure of the Victorian era. Stead published a series of hugely influential campaigns whilst editor of The Pall Mall Gazette, including his 1885 series of articles, The Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon. These were written in support of a bill, later dubbed the "Stead Act", that raised the age of consent from 13 to 16.

Stead's "new journalism" paved the way for the modern tabloid in Great Britain. He has been described as "the most famous journalist in the British Empire". He is considered to have influenced how the press could be used to influence public opinion and government policy, and advocated "Government by Journalism". He was known for his reportage on child welfare, social legislation and reformation of England's criminal codes.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “William Thomas Stead” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.