James Hagerty
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Freelance writer. 40-year veteran of Wall Street Journal on 3 continents. Author of Yours Truly, a guide to writing your own story.
Articles by James Hagerty
William Draper, Pioneering Silicon Valley Venture Capitalist, Dies at 98
He searched the fruit orchards south of San Francisco looking for startup companies to fund William H. Draper III gave up his career as a fast-rising executive at Inland Steel in Chicago in 1959, at age 31, to try venture capital, a little-known business at the time. He moved his wife and three children to what is now known as Silicon Valley but was then mostly fruit orchards south of San Francisco.
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“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” The memorable beginning of A Tale of Two Cities aptly describes investment results for the third quarter. In the U.S., large company stocks reached record highs while small company stocks fell sharply. Rising interest rates created the best income opportunities for investors in decades, but stung holders of long-term bonds.
Brian Dyson, the Coca-Cola Executive Who Championed New Coke, Dies at Age 90
The soda flopped spectacularly when introduced in 1985, but the company soon bounced back—and so did Dyson Brian Dyson helped lead the hugely successful launch of Diet Coke Joel Congdon/Houston Chronicle/Getty Images Brian Dyson, who grew up on a ranch in Argentina, was an outsider when he was named chief executive of Coca-Cola’s USA division in 1978. He quickly zeroed in on two big problems: Coca-Cola had very little control over its bottlers, who packaged and distributed the product.
Wally Funk, Aspiring Female Astronaut Who Finally Went Into Space, Dies at 87
A pilot, she waited 60 years before she finally made the trip with Jeff Bezos Aug. 14, 2026 12:35 pm ET Wally Funk speaking after space flight as Mark Bezos, left, and Jeff Bezos look on in 2021. Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press As part of a test for potential astronauts in 1961, Wally Funk had cold water squirted into her ears, a rubber tube pushed down her throat and a needle jabbed into the base of one of her thumbs.
R. James Woolsey, Embattled CIA Director in Clinton Administration, Dies at 84
July 22, 2026 10:14 am ET R. James Woolsey, who headed the Central Intelligence Agency in the first two years of the Clinton administration when Congress was seeking to slash its budget and the agency was reeling from the discovery that one of its senior employees had sold secrets to Moscow, died Tuesday at his home in Washington, D.C. He was 84. His wife, Conchita Sarnoff, said the cause was a stroke.
How much do you know about the sports business? Try our quiz
James R. Hagerty Forget about who has the best won-lost record, or which player is likely to be the most valuable player. Forget about the best college team or that blown call by the referee. Let's talk about what really matters in sports: money. After all, sports is more than a game. It's a business. And how much do you know about that side? Well, it's time to take off your home-team jersey, grab your calculator and take our business of sports test. Write to reports@wsj.com
How Much Do You Know About the Sports Business? Try Our Quiz
Runaway sports betting, $60 million college-football coaching costs, luxury stadiums…. It’s all part of the money side of the games San Diego’s Petco Park before an opening-day game two years ago. Denis Poroy/Associated Press Forget about who has the best won-lost record, or which player is likely to be the most valuable player. Forget about the best college team or that blown call by the referee. Let’s talk about what really matters in sports: money. After all, sports is more than a game.
Maura Gillison, Who Transformed the Treatment of Mouth and Throat Cancers, Dies at 61
An oncologist, she found HPV was causing more head and neck tumors, and saved lives and spared patients from needless treatments Maura Gillison’s colleagues remembered her ‘unimpeachable rigor’ as a researcher. David Symer For decades, oncologists blamed cancers of the mouth and throat on excessive use of tobacco or alcohol. It was typically an old man’s disease.
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Market Commentary – July 2026 James B. Hagerty July 6, 2026 Global equity markets are near record highs in early July, having swiftly recovered from an 8-10% selloff in March at the outset of war in Iran. While diplomatic progress has been tenuous, economic growth has continued and business results have been strong for a variety of technology, industrial, and financial companies. We think the quick comeback from March distress is the latest proof of how difficult it is to “time” the market.
Noel Hord, Who Went From Shoe Salesman to President of Nine West, Dies at Age 79
Starting as a stock assistant, he broke racial barriers in the shoe industry Noel Hord called himself the Jackie Robinson of retailing. Hord family Much was expected of Noel Hord. He shared a first name with his father, a Baptist minister and a leader of the Black community in Terre Haute, Ind. His older siblings were A students. At Indiana State University, however, Hord showed little interest in studying and preferred playing cards with friends.
Norma Yaeger, barrier-breaking stockbroker, dies at 96
Norma Yaeger, who became a rare female stockbroker in the early 1960s and went on to found two securities firms in the overwhelmingly male financial world, died June 3 in Los Angeles. She was 96. Her death, at a hospital, was confirmed by her daughter, Elysa Kaswan, who said Yaeger had been under treatment for a respiratory virus. Yaeger was 32 and known as Norma Nahmias when she began her financial career in 1962 with Hornblower & Weeks, a brokerage firm in New York.
Martin Leibowitz, a Math Whiz Who Transformed Bond Investing, Dies at Age 89
As a Salomon Brothers bond researcher, he came up with formulas that still drive financial markets Martin Leibowitz, center, at Salomon Brothers. Leibowitz family When Martin Leibowitz joined the Wall Street bond-trading firm Salomon Brothers in 1969, at age 33, he knew a lot about math and very little about bonds. He asked his new colleagues to explain how they calculated a bond’s potential total return to the investor.
Norma Yaeger, Barrier-Breaking Stockbroker, Dies at 96
Norma Yaeger, Barrier-Breaking Stockbroker, Dies at 96 Over her husband’s objections, she became a Wall Street broker in the 1960s. She later started two securities firms in the overwhelmingly male financial world. Norma Yaeger in 1972.
Norma Yaeger, Barrier-Breaking Stockbroker, Dies at 96
Norma Yaeger, who became a rare female stockbroker in the early 1960s and went on to found two securities firms in the overwhelmingly male financial world, died June 3 in Los Angeles. She was 96. Her death, at a hospital, was confirmed by her daughter, Elysa Kaswan, who said Yaeger had been under treatment for a respiratory virus. Yaeger was 32 and known as Norma Nahmias when she began her financial career in 1962 with Hornblower & Weeks, a brokerage firm in New York.
Lee Raymond, who created global oil behemoth Exxon Mobil, dies at 87
Lee R. Raymond, who as CEO of Exxon Mobil wrung out costs to make that global oil company the most profitable in its industry while stoutly resisting the scientific consensus that burning fossil fuels was causing a potentially disastrous warming of the Earth, died June 6 in Dallas. He was 87. His death, at a hospital, was confirmed by his son Colin, who said the cause was complications of pneumonia.
Lee Raymond, Who Created Global Oil Behemoth Exxon Mobil, Dies at 87
Lee R. Raymond, who as CEO of Exxon Mobil wrung out costs to make that global oil company the most profitable in its industry while stoutly resisting the scientific consensus that burning fossil fuels was causing a potentially disastrous warming of the Earth, died Saturday in Dallas. He was 87. His death, at a hospital, was confirmed by his son Colin, who said the cause was complications of pneumonia.
Lee Raymond, Who Created Global Oil Behemoth Exxon Mobil, Dies at 87
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. Lee Raymond, Who Created Global Oil Behemoth Exxon Mobil, Dies at 87 He oversaw Exxon’s acquisition of a rival, cut costs relentlessly and denied the scientific consensus on climate change. Lee Raymond, the chairman and chief executive of Exxon Mobil Corp., at a news conference in 2005.
Edith Eva Eger, an Auschwitz Survivor Who Helped Others Cope With Trauma, Dies at 98
As a clinical psychologist, she empowered people to free themselves from victimhood by realizing they had better choices to make Edith Eger in her home in 2019. Howard Lipin/San Diego Union-Tribune/Zuma Press More than 35 years after surviving Auschwitz, Edith Eva Eger returned to the Nazi concentration camp. The first time she had been there, in 1944 at age 16, her mission was to stay alive and save her sister Magda.
Edith Eva Eger, an Auschwitz survivor who helped others cope with trauma, dies at 98 Microsoft Cares About Your Privacy
James R. Hagerty More than 35 years after surviving Auschwitz, Edith Eva Eger returned to the Nazi concentration camp. The first time she had been there, in 1944 at age 16, her mission was to stay alive and save her sister Magda. On her second visit, in the early 1980s, she aimed to free herself from what she called the concentration camp of her own mind. Eger forced herself to face down her fear of flashbacks by walking through the ruins of Auschwitz.
Dean Buntrock, co-founder of Waste Management who turned trash into a multibillion-dollar empire, dies at 94
James R. Hagerty Dean Buntrock was happily selling life insurance in Boulder, Colo., in 1956 when the death of his father-in-law thrust him into a very different business: hauling garbage in Chicago. Buntrock, who died April 17 at the age of 94, initially was inclined to sell the family trash business, known as Ace Scavenger Service, with its fleet of a dozen trucks, founded by Harm Huizenga, a Dutch immigrant, in 1893. After taking a closer look, Buntrock saw opportunity.
Dean Buntrock, Co-Founder of Waste Management Who Turned Trash Into a Multibillion-Dollar Empire, Dies at 94
The South Dakotan took over a family trash business and made it the nation’s biggest April 28, 2026 1:12 pm ET Dean Buntrock circa 1990. Michael L. Abramson/Getty Images Dean Buntrock was happily selling life insurance in Boulder, Colo., in 1956 when the death of his father-in-law thrust him into a very different business: hauling garbage in Chicago.
Kurt Gitter, an Eye Surgeon Who Became Obsessed With Japanese Art, Dies at Age 89
As a collector, he focused on ink paintings made by Zen monks and self-taught artists from the American South April 23, 2026 11:59 am ET Kurt Gitter in 2024. Japan Society When the U.S. Air Force deployed Kurt Gitter to Japan’s Kyushu Island as a medical officer in 1963, he could have chosen to live on base with the other Americans. Instead, he and his wife moved, with their three young children, to a nearby rice-farming village, where they lived in a Japanese-style house with tatami floor mats.
Jim Whittaker, Mountaineer Who Turned REI Into a National Retailer, Dies at 97
Seattle native was the first American to climb Everest and led successful ascent of K2 Jim Whittaker on the summit of Mount Everest in 1963. Nawang Gombu/Whittaker Family When Jim Whittaker was a rambunctious young boy in Seattle, his mother often ordered him and his twin brother to go outside and play, allowing her some peace. That proved to be excellent career advice. Whittaker, who died April 7 at the age of 97, became the most celebrated American mountain climber of his era.
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Global equity markets declined in March, a selloff provoked by higher oil prices following the onset of Operation Epic Fury in Iran. Foreign stock benchmarks fell by 8-10% for the month, while major U.S. indexes fell by roughly 6%. Bond prices declined slightly too, reflecting higher inflation risk. The S&P 500 Index was recently near the 10% decline threshold – usually described as a “correction” – so we offer some historical perspective. This would be the 25th decline of 10% or more since 1990.
Judge says Penn must turn over information about Jewish employees in U.S. discrimination probe
Vendors can use your data to provide services. Declining a vendor can stop them from using the data you shared. Exponential Interactive, Inc d/b/a VDX.tv Cookie duration: 90 (days). Data collected and processed: IP addresses, Device identifiers, Probabilistic identifiers, Browsing and interaction data, Non-precise location data, Users’ profiles, Privacy choices more Cookie duration resets each session. View details | Storage details | Privacy policy Consent Index Exchange Inc.
What Is Your Collection Worth? How to Value and Protect Your Assets
For disciples of the Japanese de-cluttering guru Marie Kondo, disposing of such beloved collections may be a snap. But many people, even in old age, find that their collections still spark joy and they are reluctant to give them up. To make things easier for heirs, such collectors should take steps now to avoid the risk that valuable heirlooms end up at Goodwill or in a landfill. The first step is to curate. Then sell or give away items that don't hold sentimental value.
What Is Your Collection Worth? How to Value and Protect Your Assets
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Chuck Norris, Action Movie and TV Star and Internet Meme, Dies at 86
Chuck Norris, Action Movie and TV Star and Internet Meme, Dies at 86 A martial-arts champion, he played tough guys in movies such as ‘The Delta Force’ and ‘The Hitman,’ and a lawman on TV’s ‘Walker, Texas Ranger’
Chuck Norris, action movie and TV star and internet meme, dies at 86
James R. Hagerty Chuck Norris, a martial-arts champion who became a movie and television star and had a third act in recent decades as the focus of tough-guy internet memes, died Thursday at the age of 86. His death was announced in an Instagram post by his family, which didn't disclose the cause. Norris, who favored quiet John Wayne-style tough guys, starred in movies including “The Hitman,” “The Delta Force” and the “Missing in Action” series.
Margareta Magnusson, the Guru of ‘Swedish Death Cleaning,’ Dies at 91
If you have trouble closing drawers or closet doors, she wrote, it is time to start purging Margareta Magnusson in 2017. Stina Stjernkvist/TT News Agency/Alamy Where others saw mere clutter, Margareta Magnusson spotted a moral issue: Who is responsible for what she called “the mountain of crap” most of us accumulate over a lifetime?
Christopher A. Sims, 83, Dies; Won Nobel on Ways to Steer the Economy
Christopher A. Sims, a Nobel Prize-winning economist who devised statistical models to guide central bankers and other policymakers in their attempts to steer the economy, died on Saturday at his home in Minneapolis. He was 83. kAmw:D 562E9 H2D 4@?7:C>65 @? %F6D52J 3J 9:D H:76[ r2E9:6 $:>D[ H9@ D2:5 E96 42FD6 H2D :?;FC:6D 7C@> 2 72==]k^Am kAm$:>D[ 2 AC@76DD@C 2E !C:?46E@? 2?5 E96 8C2?5D@? 2?5 ?6A96H @7 AC@>:?6?E 64@?@>:DED \\ 96 C642==65 5:D4FDD:?8 64@?@>:4 :DDF6D 2E 72>:=J 82E96C:?8D H96?
Christopher A. Sims, 83, Dies; Won Nobel for Modeling Economic Policy
Christopher A. Sims, a Nobel Prize-winning economist who devised sophisticated statistical models to guide central bankers and other policymakers in their attempts to steer the economy, died on Saturday at his home in Minneapolis. He was 83. His death was confirmed on Tuesday by his wife, Cathie Sims, who said the cause was injuries from a fall.
Christopher A. Sims, 83, Dies; Won Nobel for Modeling Economic Policy
Christopher A. Sims, a Nobel Prize-winning economist who devised sophisticated statistical models to guide central bankers and other policymakers in their attempts to steer the economy, died on Saturday at his home in Minneapolis. He was 83. kAmw:D 562E9 H2D 4@?7:C>65 @? %F6D52J 3J 9:D H:76[ r2E9:6 $:>D[ H9@ D2:5 E96 42FD6 H2D :?;FC:6D 7C@> 2 72==]k^Am kAm$:>D[ 2 AC@76DD@C 2E !C:?46E@? 2?5 E96 D@? 2?5 ?6A96H @7 AC@>:?6?E 64@?@>:DED \\ 96 C642==65 5:D4FDD:?8 64@?@>:4 :DDF6D 2E 72>:=J 82E96C:?8D H96?
Gladys West, who got belated credit for helping create GPS, dies at 95
James R. Hagerty One frosty morning in January 1956, Gladys Brown and her younger brother, Nolan, drove north on Route 301 in Virginia. They needed a map to find their way to the Naval Proving Ground, a military research center on the banks of the Potomac River in Dahlgren, Va. Brown, a 25-year-old mathematician later known by her married name of West, had worked for two years as a high-school teacher.
Gladys West, Virginia-Born Navy Scientist Who Got Belated Credit for Helping Create GPS, Dies at 95
Mathematician toiled in obscurity at a naval research center in Virginia for 42 years Gladys West worked for the Navy for more than four decades. U.S. Navy One frosty morning in January 1956, Gladys Brown and her younger brother, Nolan, drove north on Route 301 in Virginia.
Anna de Peyster, novelist and former wife of Rupert Murdoch, dies at age 81
Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg, James R. Hagerty Anna de Peyster, a writer, philanthropist and a former wife of Rupert Murdoch, has died following a long illness. She was 81 years old. Known for her intelligence and generosity, she was married to Murdoch as he built his media empire and was a member of News Corp's board for eight years. Anna Torv was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1944 to a Scottish mother and an Estonian father who operated a dry-cleaning business.
Anna de Peyster, Novelist and Former Wife of Rupert Murdoch, Dies at Age 81
Anna de Peyster, a writer, philanthropist and a former wife of Rupert Murdoch, has died following a long illness. She was 81 years old. Known for her intelligence and generosity, she was married to Murdoch as he built his media empire and was a member of News Corp’s board for eight years. Copyright ©2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
Frank Craighill, co-founder of a sports-marketing powerhouse, dies at 86
After earning a law degree in 1964, Frank Craighill roamed through Africa and Asia, returned home broke, and found himself bored with the routines of a junior lawyer in Washington, D.C.His law-school roommate and friend, Donald Dell, proposed an alternative: representing pro athletes in negotiations for endorsement deals, then an emerging business whose best-known player was Mark H.
Frank Craighill, Co-Founder of a Sports-Marketing Powerhouse, Dies at 86
A lawyer, he helped some of the biggest athletes earn more—and sometimes urged them to spend less Frank Craighill in the late 1980s.
Diosdado Banatao, Chip Designer, Investor and Entrepreneur, Dies at 79 Original
Filipino engineer co-founded semiconductor firms and financed startups in Silicon Valley Diosdado Banatao helped design the electrical circuitry needed to make personal computers and cellphones into affordable tools. Banatao Family Diosdado Banatao helped design the electrical circuitry needed to make personal computers and cellphones into affordable tools. Banatao Family When Diosdado Banatao met Maria Cariaga at a party in 1968, they were both Filipinos who had recently arrived in Seattle.
Scott Adams, whose Dilbert comic strip mocked clueless bosses, dies at 68
Scott Adams, whose Dilbert cartoon strip gave voice and comic relief to corporate employees baffled by the obfuscation and frequent incompetence of their bossesuntil remarks considered racist in 2023 effectively ended his connections with mainstream newspapers and book publishersdied Tuesday in Pleasanton, Calif.He was 68 years old and had announced in May of last year that he was being treated for prostate cancer.Adamss syndicated cartoons, which at their peak appeared in more than 2,000...
Scott Adams, Whose ‘Dilbert’ Comic Strip Mocked Clueless Bosses, Dies at 68
Cartoonist lost much of his platform in 2023 after remarks that were considered racist Scott Adams with his Dilbert character in 2006. Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press Scott Adams, whose “Dilbert” cartoon strip gave voice and comic relief to corporate employees baffled by the obfuscation and frequent incompetence of their bosses—until remarks considered racist in 2023 effectively ended his connections with mainstream newspapers and book publishers—died Tuesday in Pleasanton, Calif.
Philip Erdoes, entrepreneur and venture capitalist, dies at 62
Philip Erdoes, a prolific entrepreneur and venture capitalist whose interests ranged from movie production and childrens furniture to artificial-intelligence tools, died Jan. 7 at Weill Cornell Medical Center in Manhattan. He was 62 years old.Erdoes, husband of Mary Callahan Erdoes, the chief executive of JPMorgan Chases fund-management arm, died of complications from an infection, the family said.
Philip Erdoes, Entrepreneur and Venture Capitalist, Dies at 62
The New York-based investor was a co-founder and CEO of a company that provides AI tools Mary Callahan Erdoes and Philip Erdoes. Erdoes Family Philip Erdoes, a prolific entrepreneur and venture capitalist whose interests ranged from movie production and children’s furniture to artificial-intelligence tools, died Jan. 7 at Weill Cornell Medical Center in Manhattan. He was 62 years old.
Market Commentary - January 2026
2025 was barely underway when the Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek shocked the technology universe with the introduction of its R1 reasoning model. This low-cost AI system provoked a “Sputnik Moment” for investors, who feared the US could be surpassed by China in the race for AI dominance. Leading US technology stocks fell by 10-20% on January 27, the first trading day after the announcement.
Louis Gerstner Jr., Former CEO Who Transformed IBM, Dies at 83
The company looked to be in an unfixable decline when he took over in 1993—and changed its focus from hardware to services.
Louis Gerstner Jr., former CEO who transformed IBM, dies at 83
Louis V. Gerstner Jr., who as the first outsider to head International Business Machines steered the company away from what looked like a possible demise and refocused it on services, reducing reliance on hardware, died Saturday. He was 83 years old.IBM, which announced his death, didnt disclose the cause.On his first day as CEO in 1993, Gerstner noticed that all the men in executive suites wore white shirts, as they had been doing for decades.
John E. Olson, Analyst Who Was an Early Skeptic of Enron, Dies at 83
When Enron was flying high in the 1990s, Olson was one of the few analysts who was publicly skeptical about the outlook for the company, an operator of gas pipelines that had diversified into a complex array of businesses, including electricity sales, a power plant in India, and derivative contracts allowing traders to bet on weather patterns.
Merrill Lynch researcher lost his job after refusing to promote the doomed firm’s stock John Olson speaking at a House hearing on Enron in 2002. Isaac Menashe/ZUMA PRESS He just didn’t get it. That was the verdict of senior Enron executives on John E. Olson, a securities analyst at Merrill Lynch.
Thomas O. Hicks, Who Had Big Wins and Big Losses in Private Equity, Dies at 79
As a high-school football player in Port Arthur, Texas, in the early 1960s, Thomas O. Hicks dropped a pass in a playoff game. His coach kicked him in the shins. Football, he later told his son Tommy, made him tougher and more resilient. That helped later in life when the professional-sports business dealt him the financial equivalent of a kick in the shins.
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