Phoebe Apperson Hearst’s only son became internationally famous as a heedless practitioner of “Yellow Journalism” and as one model for a composite portrait of the haunted rich man depicted in the landmark Orson Welles’ film “Citizen Kane.”
But posterity’s assessment highlights Phoebe Hearst’s remarkable philanthropy more than the checkered exploits of her offspring, William Randolph Hearst.
Hearst’s beneficiaries included universities, museums, George Washington’s Mount Vernon, and the copper smelting town that helped boost the fortunes of Marcus Daly and partners, with George Hearst being one.
The Hearst Free Library in Anaconda opened its doors to the public on June 1, 1898. San Francisco architect F. S. Van Trees designed the building; local builder J. C. Twohy completed it. The Anaconda Standard reported that the library would “compare favorably with any public building in the West.”
