Peter H. Wyden


Peter H. Wyden was an American journalist and writer.

Early life

Wyden was born Peter Weidenreich, in Berlin to a Jewish family. His mother, Helen, was a concert singer, and his father, Erich Weidenreich, was a businessman. Franz Weidenreich, German anatomist and physical anthropologist, was one of his uncles.
Wyden attended the Goldschmidt School until he left Nazi Germany for the United States in 1937. After studying at City University of New York, he served with the U.S. Army's Psychological Warfare Division in Europe during World War II.

Career

After the war, Wyden began a career in journalism, during which he worked as a reporter for The Wichita Eagle, a feature writer for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Washington correspondent for Newsweek magazine, a contributing editor for The Saturday Evening Post in Chicago and San Francisco, articles editor for McCall's, and executive editor for Ladies' Home Journal.
Wyden authored or coauthored nine books, and numerous articles that appeared in major magazines. In 1969, he co-authored with his wife a book on homosexuality entitled Growing Up Straight; the book summed up research on the topic, which suggested homosexuality could be prevented with a close paternal relationship in childhood. His last book, published in 1998, was about schizophrenia; it was based on his personal experience as his son Jeff suffered from the mental disorder.
In 1970, Wyden became a book publisher in New York City and Ridgefield, Connecticut.

Personal life and death

Wyden was married three times. He had two sons, including Ron Wyden, who became a United States senator. He died on June 27, 1998 in Danbury, Connecticut.

Works