The  definitive and “utterly absorbing” biography of America’s first news  media baron based on newly released private and business documents (Vanity Fair). In The Chief,  David Nasaw presents an intimate portrait of William Randolph Hearst,  famously characterized in the classic film Citizen Kane, and whose  influence was nearly as great as many world leaders. A brilliant  business strategist, Hearst controlled the largest publishing empire in  the United States, including twenty-eight newspapers, the Cosmopolitan  Picture Studio, radio stations, and thirteen magazines. He quickly  learned how to use this media stronghold to achieve unprecedented  political power. The son of a gold miner, Hearst underwent a public  metamorphosis from Harvard dropout to political kingmaker; from  outspoken populist to opponent of the New Deal; and from citizen to  congressman.? With unprecedented access to Hearst’s personal and  business papers, Nasaw details Heart’s relationship with his wife  Millicent and his romance with Marion Davies; his interactions with  Hitler, Mussolini, Churchill, and every American president from Grover  Cleveland to Franklin Roosevelt; and his acquaintance with movie giants  such as Louis B. Mayer, Jack Warner, and Irving Thalberg. An  “absorbing, sympathetic portrait of an American original,” The Chief  sheds light on the private life of a very public man (Chicago Tribune).