Skip to Main Content

Edgar May

Edgar May (BSJ57) graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Medill in 1957 and went on to work for The Buffalo Evening News. May was an investigative reporter at the paper and worked undercover in the New York welfare system for half a year. His reporting on faults in the welfare system earned him the 1961 Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting.

Following his Pulitzer win, May became involved in politics. He worked for President Lyndon B. Johnson, the Peace Corps and the Office of Economic Opportunity before getting elected to the Vermont House of Representatives. As a state representative, May served four two-year terms, followed by another eight years as a Vermont state senator.

May died on December 27, 2012, after suffering a stroke in Arizona.