William Randolph Hearst was born April 29, 1863, in San Francisco, California. His father George was a wealthy mineowner. Hearst was energetic from an early age and enjoyed private tutoring and travel. In 1879, he attended a private preparatory school in Concord, New Hampshire. A disruptive student, he was asked to leave that school the following year. After returning home for more private tutoring, Hearst was admitted to Harvard University. He took charge of the school's fading newspaper, the Harvard Lampoon, serving as editor and writer, selling advertising, and soliciting subscriptions from students, and made it profitable. His work on the Lampoon was his major achievement at Harvard before he was banished from the university in 1885 for playing pranks.

Meanwhile, his millionaire father had become interested in politics. He supported Democratic Party candidates and the newspaper that took up their cause, the San Francisco Examiner. After the...