pr hall of fame

My organizations were the Sons of Liberty and Committees of Correspondence; my symbol was the liberty tree; my slogan was "Taxation without Representation" and my staged events included the Boston Tea Party

Samuel Adams

I wrote "Crystallizing Public Opinion", the first book on PR, in 1923. I coined the term "public relations council" with my wife, Doris Fleischman, and advocate for PR licensure.

Edward L. Bernays

I was Chairman of the Committee on Public Information during World War I and understood the power of publicity to mobilize the public. I started the "Four Minutemen" and created spokespersons from key interest groups to give four-minute persuasive talks on matters of public interest.

George Creel

I was Director of the Office of War Information during World War 11 and pioneered the use of radio, Hollywood, and other mass media to publicize the war effort.

Elmer Davis

I founded the American Council on Public Relations, which in 1947 became PRSA.

Rex Harlow

I issued the first news release in 1906. I advocated for full disclosure, telling the truth, and doing good works to earn good publicity. A former journalist myself, I created the first "Declaration of Principles" by journalists.

Ivy Ledbetter Lee

I was an AT&T vice president who set the standard for corporate PR in the 1920s. Was the first practitioner to insist on “a place at the table”

Arthur Page

I was the nation's first publicity agency that used fact finding, publicity and personal contact to saturate media with railroad propaganda.

Publicity Bureau

I was the first U.S. president to exploit news media as a tool of presidential leadership.

Theodore Roosevelt

I created the first corporate PR department in 1889.

George Westinghouse