William Randolph Hearst was born on April 29, 1863, the son of millionaires. He was raised by his mother, as his father, George Hearst, chose to spend all his time at the mining company, doing all the legal work and mine investing himself.
From a very young age, William Hearst showed a tendency towards mischievousness. He was not an easy child to discipline. "His forte was an irrepressible imagination," said his mother. He pulled pranks that he would later write about in a column in his newspaper. One of these pranks involved him setting off firecrackers in his room, shouting to the rest of the house that there was a fire, and then locking his door and waiting for his family to try to rescue him.
Phoebe Apperton Hearst, William's mother, spoiled him endlessly. She could not bear to send him to school and be away from him all day, and as a result, by the time he was nine years old, he had only been to school for two years. When he was ten years old his mother took him on an 18-month tour of Europe, where he visited many countries and every important museum, gallery, and palace. He learned French and German. Under his mother's strict watch, William received lessons every day from the best private tutors possible.
When William returned to San Francisco in October 1874, he found that his home and belongings had been sold to pay off his father's debts. For the next few years, he attended school after school and moved to different rented homes. When he was sixteen, he was enrolled in St. Paul's Preparatory School in Concord, New Hampshire. After he graduated from there, he went on to study at Harvard.
From a very young age, William Hearst showed a tendency towards mischievousness. He was not an easy child to discipline. "His forte was an irrepressible imagination," said his mother. He pulled pranks that he would later write about in a column in his newspaper. One of these pranks involved him setting off firecrackers in his room, shouting to the rest of the house that there was a fire, and then locking his door and waiting for his family to try to rescue him.
Phoebe Apperton Hearst, William's mother, spoiled him endlessly. She could not bear to send him to school and be away from him all day, and as a result, by the time he was nine years old, he had only been to school for two years. When he was ten years old his mother took him on an 18-month tour of Europe, where he visited many countries and every important museum, gallery, and palace. He learned French and German. Under his mother's strict watch, William received lessons every day from the best private tutors possible.
When William returned to San Francisco in October 1874, he found that his home and belongings had been sold to pay off his father's debts. For the next few years, he attended school after school and moved to different rented homes. When he was sixteen, he was enrolled in St. Paul's Preparatory School in Concord, New Hampshire. After he graduated from there, he went on to study at Harvard.
