Samuel Lubell

Samuel Lubell (né Lubelsky; November 3, 1911 – August 16, 1987) was an American public opinion pollster, journalist, and author who successfully predicted election outcomes using door-to-door voter interviews. He published six books, including Revolt of the Moderates, a finalist for the National Book Award for Nonfiction in 1957.

Early life and education

Lubell was born the youngest of nine children in a village on the Russian-German border in what is now Poland in November 1911. His family emigrated to the United States when he was two years old. He attended James Monroe High School.

Career Lubell became a reporter for the Long Island Daily Press before moving to Washington, D.C. in 1938 to write for The Washington Post, the Richmond Times-Dispatch, The Washington Herald, and The Saturday Evening Post.

Starting in December 1941, Lubell worked as a writer for the US Office of War Information, as an aide to James F. Byrnes of the Office of Economic Stabilization, and as chief aide to Bernard Baruch, becoming Baruch's confidant and ghostwriter. He was a foreign correspondent in Europe and Asia between 1944 and 1946.

From 1958 to 1968, Lubell ran the Opinion Reporting Workshop at Columbia University and later taught courses at American University. He received Guggenheim Fellowships in 1950 and again in 1953. He also served as a fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Personal life Lubell married Helen Sopot (1911–2002) in 1941. After suffering a stroke at the age of 65, he retired and moved to Los Angeles with his wife in 1976. He died of another stroke at a Los Angeles nursing home on August 16, 1987. He was survived by his wife and their two sons, Walter and Bernard.

Published books