Charles Foster Kane | 1862 - 1941

By Bryan W.

On Wednesday, August, 15, 1941, at 7.14 PM, Charles Foster Kane, the owner of “New York Daily Inquirer,” and protagonist of a movie we recently watched in Journalism class, Citizen Kane, passed away in his bedroom. He was holding a snowglobe, which dropped to the floor and shattered upon his death. As he passed, he whispered the word “Rosebud,” confounding journalists in the film and viewers of the film alike. Journalism students watched Citizen Kane to learn about the real media mogul he was based on, William Randolph Hearst, a prominent figure in the Gilded Age of yellow journalism and muckraking.

Kane was born on February  29, 1862, in Little Salem, Colorado to Mary Kane and Jim Kane. When he was younger he had a fondness for the snow and his sleigh “rosebud,” According to Wikipedia, in his later years he moved to New York where he attended a variety of colleges one of which he met his close friend Leland.

Kane in his twenties acquired the newspaper The New York Daily Inquirer where he declared his principles to always be truthful and write for the sake of those less fortunate than him, using his own wealth to keep his word regardless of if he lost millions or he wrote against companies he himself owned. He met his first wife, Emily while out on a walk in the the streets of New York who he later had a son, Jim with. After a scandal that led to a falling out between the two Kane met his second wife Susan outside a dentist’s office, who he spared no effort in supporting.

Kane was the type of person to applaud in a crowd of disapproval, he was an ambitious and determined man who pursued his goals regardless of if the obstacles were blackmail, his own foster father, or the public itself. Kane was someone who millions knew and wanted to learn more about. 

In his later years, Kane became very reclusive, meaning he did not leave his house very much.  

Kane is survived by his father, Jim, and mother, Mary. He is survived by his foster father, Thatcher; right-hand man, Bernstein; best friend, Leland; two ex-wives; countless others  and the many, many material objects he left behind.

His funeral was held on September 1, 1941 at Lorem Ipsum Road in Pangea. Condolences can be shared on numerous fan sites, such as Letterboxd and Film Forums.