Wilbert Tatum

Wilbert Arnold "Bill" Tatum (January 23, 1933 – February 26, 2009) was an American newspaper executive, who variously served as the editor, publisher, chairman and chief executive officer of the New York Amsterdam News, a weekly newspaper serving the African-American community of New York City.

Early life and education Tatum was born in a three-room shack in Durham, North Carolina, the 10th of 13 children, in 1933. He attended Durham's segregated schools, working during the summer in tobacco fields.

He majored in sociology at Lincoln University, the United States' first degree-granting historically black university. During the Korean War, he served in the United States Marine Corps as a drill instructor in Japan from 1951 until 1954. which included investors such as former New York State Comptroller H. Carl McCall and Manhattan Borough President Percy E. Sutton.

During his 25 years with the Amsterdam News, Tatum's name was "nearly synonymous with the paper's", as described in a notice by The New York Times announcing his death. that ran on the front page from February 1986 to September 1989, accusing Koch of leading an ineffective and corrupt municipal government that did not address the concerns of minority residents of the city. After Koch lost the mayoral primary in 1989 to David Dinkins, Tatum's last editorial read: "On September 12 at 11:50 p.m., Edward I. Koch conceded defeat in the primary. December 31 will be his last day of work. End of series."

Tatum stepped down in 1997 and named his daughter Elinor Tatum, then 26 years old and a graduate of New York University's postgraduate journalism program, to serve as publisher and editor-in-chief of the paper. Tatum retained his position as chairman of the board after his daughter took over day-to-day operation of the paper, and he retained the position until his death.

Tatum wrote that Al Gore had chosen Joseph Lieberman as his running mate in the 2000 United States presidential election because Lieberman would be able to raise funds from fellow Jews, stating that "Gore and his minions did it for the money".

Personal life Tatum married Susan Kohn, a Jewish refugee from Czechoslovakia, with whom he had a daughter. Tatum lived in the Manhattan's East Village in a 23-room triplex that he had bought in 1967 for $4,000 and had improved.

Tatum died on February 26, 2009 from multiple organ failure in Dubrovnik, Croatia, where he was traveling with his wife. A diabetic, Tatum was a wheelchair user at the time of his death.