May 7, 1934: Mail Tribune First Oregon Newspaper to Receive Pulitzer Prize

The Medford, Oregon based Mail Tribune was the first Oregon newspaper to receive a Pulitzer Prize, on May 7, 1934.

The following gracious words about the award appeared in the Morning Oregonian, a putative rival, the next day:

The Medford Mail-Tribune has brought honor to the state of Oregon as well as to itself by its winning of the Pulitzer medal for “the most disinterested and meritorious public service rendered by an American newspaper during 1933.” The Mail-Tribune and its editor, Robert W. Ruhl, deserve the accolade.

The course pursued by the Mail-Tribune in the period of strife in its district centering about the agitations of L.A. Banks and their tragic consequences, called for editorial courage and judgment of a high order. It is noteworthy that in judging the newspaper’s service the committee emphasizes its counsels to moderation and to sane thinking and acting in the time of crisis.