The founding publisher of the Beverly Hills Courier newspaper, March Schwartz, died today, the newspaper announced. He was 97.
Schwartz founded the newspaper in 1965, based on the principle of bringing Beverly Hills residents news about tax rates, its schools and public services. A debilitating stroke in the early 2000s forced him to sell.
As publisher of the weekly paper in the well-to-do community, Schwartz joined the White House Press Corps in 1978 and accompanied presidents on foreign and domestic presidential trips for the Carter, Reagan, Bush and
Clinton administrations.
Schwartz was born April 9, 1917 in Philadelphia, according to his biography published at the paper’s website. He stowed away on a boat to China and studied at Chenglu University and St. John’s University in Shanghai before
the Japanese invasion.
He joined the infantry, rose to the rank of captain, and became an aide to Gen. Joseph “Vinegar Joe” Stillwell in China. During World War II, Schwartz was assigned to Washington D.C. as a public relations officer for First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.
After attending Southwestern University law school, he got a job with the newly-formed Los Angeles Mirror, and later became its editor. After it merged with the Los Angeles Times, he became the ad sales manager for the New
York Times west coast edition.
For his work in Beverly Hills, he was named Man Of The Year by the Beverly Hills Education Foundation, and Citizen Of Ther Year by the Chamber of Commerce, according to the Courier.
Schwartz is survived by four children, eight grandchildren, a great grandson and his wife since 1996, Linda.
