Sid Caesar
American comic actor and writer
Conrad Black is a Canadian-British politician, newspaper publisher, businessman, and writer. He took control of the Ravelston Corporation after his father’s death and focused on newspaper publishing, building a global media empire. However, his career was marked by controversy, including fraud charges and a prison sentence, before being pardoned by President Trump.
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About the Conrad Black
Conrad Moffat Black, Baron Black of Crossharbour (born 25 August 1944), is a Canadian-British politician, newspaper publisher, businessman, and writer.
Black’s father was businessman George Montegu Black II, who had significant holdings in Canadian manufacturing, retail and media businesses through part-ownership of the holding company Ravelston Corporation. In 1978, two years after their father’s death, Conrad and his older brother Montegu took majority control of Ravelston. Over the next seven years, Conrad Black sold off most of their non-media holdings to focus on newspaper publishing. He controlled Hollinger International, once the world’s third-largest English-language newspaper empire, which published The Daily Telegraph (UK), Chicago Sun-Times (US), The Jerusalem Post (Israel), National Post (Canada), and hundreds of community newspapers in North America, before controversy erupted over the sale of some of the company’s assets.
Black was granted a life peerage in 2001 and gave up his Canadian citizenship to accept the title in light of the Nickle Resolution, which bans British honours for Canadian citizens. He regained his Canadian citizenship in 2023.
In 2007, Black was convicted on four counts of fraud in a United States district court in Chicago. While two of the criminal fraud charges were overturned on appeal, a conviction for felony fraud and obstruction of justice was upheld in 2010 and he was re-sentenced to 42 months in prison and a fine of $125,000. In 2019, President Donald Trump granted him a federal pardon.
Black is a longtime columnist and author, and has written a column for the National Post since he founded it in 1998. He has written eleven books, mostly in the fields of Canadian and American history, including biographies of Quebec premier Maurice Duplessis and US presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, Richard Nixon and Donald Trump, as well as two memoirs. He has also hosted two interview shows on the Canadian cable network VisionTV. A political conservative, he belonged to the UK’s Conservative Party, but also has some idiosyncratic views, including his support for Roosevelt’s New Deal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Conrad Black is a Canadian-British politician, newspaper publisher, businessman, and writer. He was once the head of a global media empire, Hollinger International, before facing fraud charges and a prison sentence.
Conrad Black’s father, George Montegu Black II, had significant holdings in Canadian manufacturing, retail, and media businesses through the Ravelston Corporation. In 1978, Conrad and his brother Montegu took majority control of Ravelston after their father’s death.
Conrad Black controlled Hollinger International, once the world’s third-largest English-language newspaper empire, which published major newspapers like The Daily Telegraph, Chicago Sun-Times, The Jerusalem Post, and National Post, as well as hundreds of community newspapers in North America.
Conrad Black was granted a life peerage in 2001 and had to give up his Canadian citizenship to accept the title, due to the Nickle Resolution which bans British honours for Canadian citizens. He later regained his Canadian citizenship in 2023.
In 2007, Conrad Black was convicted on four counts of fraud in a U.S. district court. While two of the charges were overturned on appeal, a conviction for felony fraud and obstruction of justice was upheld, and he was sentenced to 42 months in prison and a $125,000 fine. In 2019, he was granted a federal pardon by President Donald Trump.
Conrad Black is a longtime columnist and author, having written a column for the National Post since he founded it in 1998. He has also written 11 books, mostly in the fields of Canadian and American history, including biographies of notable figures. Black has also hosted interview shows on the Canadian cable network VisionTV.
Conrad Black is a political conservative who belonged to the UK’s Conservative Party. However, he has some idiosyncratic views, including his support for President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal policies.
3 Quotes by Conrad Black
- 1.
I made 50 million bucks yesterday. That’s a flameout I could get used to.
Conrad BlackCanadian and British newspaper publisher (born 1944)
- 2.
I don’t go around trying to stir up foreign wars.
Conrad BlackCanadian and British newspaper publisher (born 1944)
- 3.
I do not at all have the mind of a bully… in my mind bullies are intolerant of contrary opinion, domineering and rather cowardly. I would hope that none of those terms could be fairly used in describing me.
Conrad BlackCanadian and British newspaper publisher (born 1944)