William Berry, 1st Viscount Camrose

William Ewart Berry, 1st Viscount Camrose (23 June 1879 – 15 June 1954) was a British newspaper publisher.

The second of three brothers born in Merthyr Tydfil in Wales, Berry started his working life as a journalist and established his own paper, "Advertising World", in 1901. Berry made his fortune with the publication of the World War I magazine "The War Illustrated", which at its peak had a circulation of 750,000. In partnership with his younger brother, Gomer (the elder brother was Seymour Berry, 1st Baron Buckland), he purchased "The Sunday Times" in 1915 and served as its editor-in-chief until 1937. In 1919 the pair also purchased the "Financial Times".

In 1924 the Berry brothers and Sir Edward Iliffe set up Allied Newspapers and purchased the "Daily Dispatch", the "Manchester Evening Chronicle", the "Sunday Chronicle", the "Sunday News", and the "Sunday Graphic", as well as a string of other newspapers across the country. In Cardiff they merged four newspapers into the "Western Mail". In 1927 they purchased "The Daily Telegraph" from the 2nd Baron Burnham, with William Berry also becoming its editor-in-chief. In 1937 they also purchased its rival, "The Morning Post".

He bought out his partners in 1937 and amalgamated "The Morning Post" with "The Daily Telegraph", with himself as chairman and editor-in-chief. His sons Seymour, the 2nd Viscount, and subsequently Michael, continued to run the newspaper until 1986.

Berry was created a Baronet in the 1921 Birthday Honours. [LondonGazette |issue=32346 |date=4 June 1921 |startpage=4530 |endpage= |supp=yes] He was created the 1st Baron Camrose in 1929 and the 1st Viscount Camrose in 1939.

William Berry provided financial assistance to Sir Winston Churchill after the Second World War. He and another ten wealthy well-wishers each donated £5,000 to the Churchills, allowing them to keep their home, Chartwell, on the condition that it would be presented to the nation upon their deaths.

Footnotes

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References

*Biography, "Oxford Dictionary of National Biography"
* "The House: The Berrys Built" by Duff Hart-Davis. Concerns the history of the "Daily Telegraph" from its inception to 1990.
* "William Camrose: Giant of Fleet Street" by his son Lord Hartwell. Illustrated biography with black and white photographic plates and includes an index.