Since there’s a lot of discussion about what constitutes an elite at the moment, let me tell you the story of Eugene Meyer, financier, government official, newspaper man, and all-round top-crust elite of the early twentieth century. Eugene is much forgotten today, but he serves as an example for us—both in how to be a better elite, and in how to accept that no member of the elite is ever as truly elite as you want them to be. Meyer also happens to be something of a late bloomer. He flourished young and quite spectacularly, but then he opened up whole new careers for himself. In my Late Bloomers book I am planning a chapter about his daughter, Katharine Graham, much more of a late bloomer than her father, though hugely influenced by him.
Fascinating life and legacy. Thank you for this article.
Have you read Colm Toibin’s The Magician? Meyer makes an appearance.