George Hearst Dies of Stroke
Jun 26, 2012
California billionaire George Hearst, a San Luis Obispo County heir to the Hearst media empire, was pronounced dead at age 84.
The grandson of William Randolph Hearst, George Hearst II served as a director of Hearst Corp. for more than a half-century, eventually becoming the company's chairman of the board.
"He always did great things," said son George III upon his father's death. "Good things for people when nobody was looking."
George Randolph Hearst Jr. was born a fraternal twin in San Francisco on July 13, 1927, to father George Hearst, the eldest son of legendary California publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst.
A proud University of Southern California alumnus, George Hearst Jr. served in the U.S. military for a decade before embarking on a newspaper career at The Los Angeles Examiner, The San Francisco Examiner, The Los Angeles Evening Herald-Express, and The Los Angeles Herald-Examiner.
Hearst was also a director of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, the president of the Hearst Foundation and a director of the William Randolph Hearst Foundation.The Paso Robles billionaire from the legendary Hearst Family dynasty, had fallen ill at his Central California ranch before being hospitalized.
He is survived by his twin sister, Phoebe Hearst Cooke, his devoted wife Susan Hearst, and several children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
The funeral will be a private gathering of loved ones, though a memorial service for the late George R. Hearsrt J. is to be announced shortly.
The following video gives a brief overview of how the HEARST family name came to symbolize a business empire.
George Hearst Jr. 1927-2012
