Early Life and Career
Simon was the son of Martin Simon, a Lutheran minister and missionary to China, and his mother Ruth ( (née Tolzmann), a Lutheran missionary as well.
During his school, Simon attended Concordia University, a Lutheran school in Portland. He later attended the University of Oregon and Dana College in Blair, Nebraska, but never graduated.
After meeting with local Lions Club members, he borrowed $3,600 to take over the defunct Troy Call newspaper in 1948, becoming the nation's youngest editor-publisher of the renamed Troy Tribune in Troy, Illinois, eventually building a chain of 14 weekly newspapers. His activism against gambling, prostitution, and government corruption while at the Troy Tribune influenced the newly elected Governor, Adlai Stevenson, to take a stand on these issues, creating national exposure for Simon that later resulted in his testifying before the Kefauver Commission.
In 1951, Simon left his newspaper and enlisted in the United States Army, during the Korean War. During his military career, Simon served as intelligence officer, and was honorably discharged in 1953, at the end of the war.
Read more about this topic: Paul Simon (politician)
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