Eugene Meyer, who distinguished himself in three careers, worked out a plan of life at a very young age: twenty years for schooling; the next twenty to earn a living, marry, and start a family; another twenty for public service; and at sixty he would retire and enjoy growing old. He kept to his schedule for much of the first sixty years, but as retirement age approached, he bought the bankrupt Washington Post and for the next two decades worked hard to create a reputable and profitable newspaper in the nation's capital.

Eugene Meyer was born on Halloween 1875 in Los Angeles to Eugene and Harriet Newmark Meyer. His father had immigrated to the United States from Alsace-Lorraine, France, in 1859. After many years as a merchant in Los Angeles and a banker in San Francisco, the senior Meyer became a partner in the international banking firm of Lazard Fr...