Douglas Black

Who was Douglas Black?

Douglas McCrae Black was an American lawyer and publishing house executive, president of Doubleday and Company from 1946–1963, and president of the American Book Publishers Council.

Black was born in Queens, New York, New York, the son of John William Black, a newspaper editor, and Flora Elizabeth Blayney. Black was educated at Columbia University, where he was a member of the Philolexian Society, and was awarded the Washington Prize, and Columbia Law School.

On September 11, 1920, Black married Maude T Bergen, daughter of Benjamin Bergen, and they had one child, Virginia Bergen Black. Black was a lawyer in private practice for many years.

When Nelson Doubleday resigned as president in 1946, Black took over and was president of Doubleday and Company from 1946–1963. By 1947, Doubleday was the largest publisher in the US, with annual sales of over 30 million books.

Black and his wife, Maude Bergen Black were close friends of U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower and his wife Mamie Eisenhower for over 20 years, and Black was responsible for Doubleday publishing Eisenhower's four volumes of autobiography. The "Douglas M. Black Dwight D.