George Randolph Hearst Jr.


George Randolph Hearst Jr. was chairman of the board of the Hearst Corporation from 1996 through to his death in 2012, succeeding his uncle Randolph Apperson Hearst. He was a director at the company for over forty years.
Non-family executives are a majority on the trust that controls the corporation, and this trust will not dissolve until all grandchildren alive at the death of William Randolph Hearst have died. George Jr. was one of the oldest grandchildren. However, there are five family seats among the 13 trustees, and George represented his branch of the family.
Hearst first joined the Naval Air Corps. Later, he joined the United States Army and served in the Korean War.

Children

He married Mary Thompson in 1951, and they had four children, all born in California. They divorced in 1969.
  1. Mary Astrid Hearst, born in Santa Monica, daughters Shannon and Alexis, later married Randy Ives, died at San Simeon, California of cancer; known as "Bunny"
  2. George Randolph Hearst III
  3. Stephen Thompson Hearst
  4. Erin Wilbur Hearst, married a Mr. Knudsen