Alexander Black MacDonald (May 6, 1871 — April 9, 1942) was an American journalist for the Kansas City Star who won a Pulitzer Prize for Reporting in 1931 for "his work in connection with a murder in Amarillo, Texas."[1] On that assignment, he "solved a murder mystery . . . and brought a guilty man to justice."[2]
Biography
Macdonald was born in New Brunswick, Canada, the son of Alexander Black Macdonald and Jemima McDonald.[3] He later described his father:
"The greatest man I ever knew … was a preacher in a little Canadian village. He preached in three villages, riding on circuit, helping people. He did that for sixty years and died possessing a black broadcloth suit and $125. A great man and a great life."[4]
Macdonald emigrated to the United States in 1890, and became naturalized as a citizen in 1896.[5] He quickly established himself as reporter, working first for the Kansas City Times (1891-1893), then the Kansas City World (1893), and The Kansas City Star (1894-1920). He took a leave from newspaper reporting to serve on the staff of Country Gentleman and Ladies’ Home Journal (1920-1928), but returned to the Kansas City Star in 1928, and continued there until his death.[5]
Earlier, he had been sent to Oklahoma to cover the chase of Henry Starr, "a bandit who rode safely through a surrounding posse because his sweetheart was on the horse with him and the possemen were too gallant to shoot."[2][6]
After he was assigned to interview evangelist Billy Sunday, he took a leave from the Star to go to New York to work as Sunday's publicity agent.[2]
