Home > World War I > George Creel Biography

December 1, 1876
Lafayette County, Missouri
October 2, 1953
San Francisco, California

Journalist, government bureaucrat

Journalist George Creel was a pioneer in applying the tools of modern advertising and public relations to the cause of national unity during World War I. Within a week of the United States entering into the conflict, Creel was appointed by President Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924) to head the Committee on Public Information (CPI), whose mission was to create a positive image of the American war effort in newspapers, magazines, motion pictures, and other media. During the Progressive Era, just before the war, Creel had served as the editor of several newspapers that supported Wilson's reformist policies. A strong opponent of censorship, Creel urged the federal government not to impose restrictions on freedom of the press. He persuaded editors, writers, film...