Paul was born in
Philadelphia to William Henry Paul, a real estate agent, and the former Eleanor Virginia Shivers. He was a member of the Sons of the Revolution and the Society of the War of 1812. He attended the
Episcopal Academy and later graduated from the
University of Pennsylvania. In 1914, he began his career as a newspaperman at the
Philadelphia Times. His apprenticeship was brief, and he was soon hired by the
New York Press as society editor. In 1917, he moved to Hearst's
New York American, where he took over the "Cholly Knickerbocker" gossip column that focused on members of
high society. In addition to coining the phrase "Cafe Society" to describe the people who frequented tony night clubs and expensive restaurants, Maury Paul also invented the expression "The Old Guard" (frequently known as "
the Four Hundred") for the venerable New York families. Paul focused on the very well-born and extremely rich. In addition to his daily column, each week he wrote three features for the Sunday edition of the
American. In 1937, the
Evening Journal merged with the
American to become the
New York Journal-American. Paul's column and features were carried by the more than 60 newspapers of the Hearst syndicate. ==Death==