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John Sargent Sr. and the Doubleday & Company Publishing House

It has been almost 10 years since the death of John Sargent, Sr., one of the publishing industry’s most influential leaders. John Sargent, Sr. was the president and CEO of Doubleday and Company from 1963-1978 and spearheaded Doubleday’s expansion into the international giant that it was when it sold to Bertelsmann in 1980.

John Sargent, Sr. was born June 28, 1924, in New York to financier Charles S. Sargent and his wife. The Sargent family was well-known in society, often throwing singles’ parties. John continued his father’s legacy and hosted singles’ parties every Christmas Eve.

He served in the Navy in World War II. After his service, Sargent, Sr. got a job as a copywriter for Doubleday, then headed by Douglas Black. Sargent, Sr. advanced in the company throughout his 40-year tenure. As an editor, he worked with many authors, including Theodore Roethke, Stephen King, Daphne du Maurier, Victoria Holt, Dwight Eisenhower, Gay Talese, and Alex Haley (this is not an exhaustive list). Books that are under his belt include Stephen King’s Carrie (a horrific book about a dog who seriously needed to chill out), Alex Haley’s Roots, and Peter Benchley’s Jaws.

He hired Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis as an editor in the 1970s. The pair were rumored to have had an affair, but that was never confirmed.

Sargent, Sr. met Neltje Doubleday, granddaughter to the company’s founder Frank N. Doubleday and married her in 1953. The couple had two children, Ellen and John Sargent, Jr., who went on to become CEO of the Macmillan publishing house. Sargent, Sr. and Doubleday divorced in 1965.

In 1963, John Sargent, Sr. succeeded Douglas Black as president of Doubleday. Soon after, he was also CEO and chairman. Doubleday and Co. grew from a small family-owned and run publishing house into an international empire under Sargent, Sr.’s leadership. The company expanded through their London publishing outpost and partnership in the U.K.’s Book Club association. It also opened an imprint in Canada.

John Sargent, Sr. also led Doubleday and Co. to enter into the radio, television broadcasting, and film industries. By the time he stepped down as CEO and president in 1978, and only stayed on as chairman, Doubleday was publishing approximately 700 books a year and owned the Dell publishing company, a textbook subsidiary, Numerous Doubleday bookstores, and four book printing and binding companies. It also controlled several book clubs, including the Literary Guild. When Bertelsmann bought Doubleday and Co. in 1980, Sargent, Sr. stayed on the executive committee as chairman.

In 1985, John Sargent, Sr. married Elizabeth Nichols Kelly, then Cosmopolitan fiction and books, editor.

Sargent, Sr. was an active philanthropist as well. He was a trustee of the New York Public Library, the New York Zoological Society (known now as the Wildlife Conservation Society), and the American Academy in Rome.

In 2005, the Center for Fiction at the Mercantile Library created the John Sargent Sr. First Novel Prize literary prize. In 2011, the prize was renamed the Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize. One debut author of an English-language novel wins the award and $10,000. The ceremony and First Novel Fete are held in December.

John Sargent, Sr. passed away on February 5, 2012, from frail health following a stroke some years before. He is succeeded by his aforementioned children, grandchildren, and second wife, along with her two children from a previous marriage.

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