Encyclopedia, Difference between revisions of "Adolph Ochs" - New World
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[[Image:ochsstamp.jpg|thumb|right|200 px|A U.S. Postage Stamp commemorating Ochs.]] | [[Image:ochsstamp.jpg|thumb|right|200 px|A U.S. Postage Stamp commemorating Ochs.]] | ||
| − | '''Adolph Simon Ochs''' ( | + | '''Adolph Simon Ochs''' (March 12, 1858–April 8, 1935) was an [[United States|American]] [[newspaper]] publisher, and former owner of ''[[The New York Times]]''. Under his leadership ''[[The New York Times]]'' became a pre-eminent American daily paper with sales of over one million, and is credited with winning ninety-four [[Pulitzer Prize]]s. Contrary to many of his peers at the time, he denounced [[yellow journalism]] and sensationalism, concerning himself only with trustworthy reporting and writing. |
== Life == | == Life == | ||
| − | Ochs was born | + | '''Adolph Simon Ochs''' was born on March 12, 1858 to [[German-Jewish]] immigrants, Julius and Bertha Levy Ochs, in [[Cincinnati, Ohio|Cincinnati]], [[Ohio]]. The family moved south to [[Knoxville, Tennessee]] due to his mother's Southern sympathies during the [[American Civil War|Civil War]]. His father, however, enlisted in the Union army, causing a strain on his home life. |
| + | |||
| + | Ochs began his [[newspaper]] career there at age 11, leaving [[grammar school]] to become a printer's assistant at the ''[[Knoxville Chronicle]]''. At the age of 19, he borrowed $800 to purchase a controlling interest in the ''[[Chattanooga Times]]'', becoming its publisher. | ||
| + | |||
| + | In 1896, at the age of 36, he again borrowed money to purchase ''[[The New York Times]]'', a money-losing newspaper that had a wide range of competitors in [[New York City]]. His focus on objective news reporting (in a time when newspapers were openly and highly partisan), and a well-timed price decrease (from 3 cents per issue to 1 cent) led to its rescue from near oblivion, increasing its readership drastically.<ref name=Johnson> Johnson, Gerald W. 1946. Honorable Titan: A Biographical Study of Adolph S. Ochs. Harper and Brothers. ISBN 978-0837138367. Retrieved June 15, 2007. </ref> | ||
| − | In 1884, Ochs married Effie Wise, the daughter of [[Rabbi]] [[Isaac Mayer Wise]] of Cincinnati, who was the leading exponent of [[Reform Judaism]] in America and the founder of [[Hebrew Union College]]. | + | In 1884, Ochs married Effie Wise, the daughter of [[Rabbi]] [[Isaac Mayer Wise]] of Cincinnati, who was the leading exponent of [[Reform Judaism]] in America and the founder of [[Hebrew Union College]]. Their only daughter, [[Iphigene Bertha Ochs]], married [[Arthur Hays Sulzberger]], who became publisher of the ''Times'' after Adolph died. Their son [[Arthur Ochs Sulzberger|Arthur Ochs "Punch" Sulzberger]] subsequently became publisher of the ''Times'' and daughter, [[Ruth Holmberg]], became publisher of the ''Chattanooga Times''.<ref name=AJHS> American Jewish Historical Society. 2007. [http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/ochs.html Adolph Ochs.] Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved June 20, 2007. </ref> |
[[Image:Times Square (Tall).jpg|thumb|left|250 px|Looking towards the Times Building, 1 Times Square]] | [[Image:Times Square (Tall).jpg|thumb|left|250 px|Looking towards the Times Building, 1 Times Square]] | ||
| − | In 1904, Ochs moved the ''Times'' to a newly-built building on Longacre Square in [[Manhattan]], which the City of New York then renamed as [[Times Square]]. On New Year's Eve 1904, Ochs had | + | In 1904, Ochs moved the ''Times'' to a newly-built building on Longacre Square in [[Manhattan]], which the City of New York then renamed as [[Times Square]]. On New Year's Eve 1904, Ochs had his new building at [[One Times Square]] illuminated with a [[fireworks]] show from street level.<ref name=Talese> Talese, Gay. 2007. ''The Kingdom and the Power: Behind the Scenes at The New York Times: The Institution That Influences the World.'' Random House Trade Paperbacks. ISBN 978-0812977684. Retrieved June 20, 2007. </ref> |
| − | Ochs died on April 8, 1935 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the birth place of his newspaper career. One of his nephews, [[Julius Ochs Adler]], worked at the Times for more than 40 years, becoming general manager | + | Adolph Ochs died on April 8, 1935 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the birth place of his newspaper career. One of his nephews, [[Julius Ochs Adler]], worked at the ''Times'' for more than 40 years, becoming general manager in 1935 after Ochs' death. |
== Career == | == Career == | ||
| − | + | Adolph Ochs started at the ''Knoxville Chronicle'' as an office boy when he was 11, and at 13 he became an apprentice. In 1877, Ochs joined in a fruitless effort to establish the ''[[Chattanooga Dispatch]]''. A year later, the owner of the ''Chattanooga Times'' was in financial straits and offered to sell to Ochs, then not old enough to vote. On July 2, 1878, with $37.50 working capital, Ochs became publisher of the ''Chattanooga Times'' upon handing over $250, which he had borrowed, and assuming $1,500 in [[debt]]s. He showed a [[profit]] the first year. In 1892, Ochs built the Chattanooga Times Building, an outstanding addition to the developing city.<ref name=Johnson/> | |
| + | |||
| + | In 1896, Ochs acquired control of the ''[[New York Times]]''. He mortgaged and risked everything to "conduct a high standard newspaper, clean, dignified and trustworthy."<ref name=Talese/> ''The New York Times'' followed the slogan "All the News That's Fit to Print." His tactics involved rejecting the [[yellow journalism]] and sensationalism that was typical of his contemporaries, such as [[Joseph Pulitzer]] and [[William Randolph Hearst]], and report news only that was true and verified. | ||
| + | |||
| + | When he acquired the paper, it had less than ten thousand readers. From 1896 to 1935 he raised the daily circulation enormously, and by the 1920s, the newspaper had nearly eight hundred thousand readers. He utilized new technology to circulate the paper to many areas outside of New York, and in 1904 the paper was responsible for the first on the spot wireless transmission of a naval battle, depicting a skirmish during the [[Russo-Japanese War]].<ref name=AJHS/> | ||
| − | + | Ochs started the Sunday book supplement within ten years after taking over. In 1913 he began publishing the ''New York Times Index''. In 1925 Ochs started advancing fifty thousand dollars annually for ten years toward the cost of producing the ''Dictionary of American Biography'', a book featuring the biographies of prominent Americans. He established ''Current History Magazine'' in 1914, a journal originally created to provide coverage of [[World War 1]]. From 1900 until his death, he was a director for the [[Associated Press]].<ref name=Johnson/> | |
Ochs also controlled the ''[[Philadelphia Times]]'' and the ''[[Philadelphia Public Ledger]]'', which he merged and in 1913 sold to Cyrus H. K. Curtis. Curtis merged sections of this acquisition with ''[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]'', which remains one of Philadelphia's most prominent newspapers. | Ochs also controlled the ''[[Philadelphia Times]]'' and the ''[[Philadelphia Public Ledger]]'', which he merged and in 1913 sold to Cyrus H. K. Curtis. Curtis merged sections of this acquisition with ''[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]'', which remains one of Philadelphia's most prominent newspapers. | ||
== Legacy == | == Legacy == | ||
| − | The most important enterprise of Ochs' life was his recreation of the [[New York Times]]. Ochs business tactics of steering away from sensationalist news and lowering the price of the paper, as well as relying on the rise of technology, gave a new breath of life to the ailing paper. To this day, the descendants of Ochs still maintain control over the paper, and it has become a pre-eminent American daily paper with a daily circulation of well over one million. It has won ninety-four [[Pulitzer | + | The most important enterprise of Ochs' life was his recreation of the ''[[New York Times]]''. Ochs' [[business]] tactics of steering away from sensationalist news and lowering the price of the paper, as well as relying on the rise of [[technology]], gave a new breath of life to the ailing paper. To this day, the descendants of Ochs still maintain control over the paper, and it has become a pre-eminent American daily paper with a daily circulation of well over one million. It has won ninety-four [[Pulitzer Prize]]s, including a record of seven in 2002 alone.<ref>Susan Tifft and Alex Jones. 1999. ''The Trust: The Private and Powerful Family behind The New York Times.'' Diane Pub Co. ISBN 978-0756787127. Retrieved June 20, 2007. </ref> |
| − | His expertise also helped the [[Chattanooga Times]] in Tennessee emerge out of its financial deficit and become a well circulated paper. Today, it is merged under the name [[Chatanooga Times Free Press]] and remains in circulation. He also owned newspapers in [[Philadelphia]] which today have become part of the [[Philadelphia Inquirer]], a reputable newspaper with a long and rich history. His influence also helped establish | + | His expertise also helped the ''[[Chattanooga Times]]'' in [[Tennessee]] emerge out of its financial deficit and become a well circulated paper. Today, it is merged under the name ''[[Chatanooga Times Free Press]]'' and remains in circulation. He also owned newspapers in [[Philadelphia]] which today have become part of the ''[[Philadelphia Inquirer]]'', a reputable newspaper with a long and rich history. His influence also helped establish ''Current History Magazine'', which is still published today, and the ''Dictionary of American Biography''. |
== Major Works == | == Major Works == | ||
| − | * Ochs took over '''The Chattanooga Times''' when the paper was failing. He turned it around and made it one of the most reputable newspapers in the South. In the late 1990s, the paper merged with the [[Chattanooga Free Press]] to make the [[Chattanooga Times Free Press]] which still remains in circulation today. | + | * Ochs took over '''The Chattanooga Times''' when the paper was failing. He turned it around and made it one of the most reputable newspapers in the South. In the late 1990s, the paper merged with the ''[[Chattanooga Free Press]]'' to make the ''[[Chattanooga Times Free Press]]'' which still remains in circulation today. |
| − | * Ochs bought the [[New York Times]] and turned its financial losses into profits. [[Times Square]] was named after the newspaper in 1904, and the paper remains | + | * Ochs bought the ''[[New York Times]]'' and turned its financial losses into profits. [[Times Square]] was named after the newspaper in 1904, and the paper remains under the control of his family today. It is one of the most well recognized newspapers in the world and has won many awards in [[journalism]], including numerous [[Pulitzer Prize]]s. |
* Ochs financed the creation of the [http://www.answers.com/topic/the-dictionary-of-american-biography?cat=entertainment Dictionary of American Biography], which was created between 1928 and 1936. | * Ochs financed the creation of the [http://www.answers.com/topic/the-dictionary-of-american-biography?cat=entertainment Dictionary of American Biography], which was created between 1928 and 1936. | ||
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==Reference== | ==Reference== | ||
* Tifft, Susan. Jones, Alex. 1999. ''The Trust: The Private and Powerful Family behind The New York Times.'' Diane Pub Co. ISBN 978-0756787127. | * Tifft, Susan. Jones, Alex. 1999. ''The Trust: The Private and Powerful Family behind The New York Times.'' Diane Pub Co. ISBN 978-0756787127. | ||
| − | |||
* Johnson, Gerald W. 1946. ''Honorable Titan: A Biographical Study of Adolph S. Ochs.'' Harper and Brothers. ISBN 978-0837138367. | * Johnson, Gerald W. 1946. ''Honorable Titan: A Biographical Study of Adolph S. Ochs.'' Harper and Brothers. ISBN 978-0837138367. | ||
| − | |||
* Talese, Gay. 2007. ''The Kingdom and the Power: Behind the Scenes at The New York Times: The Institution That Influences the World.'' Random House Trade Paperbacks. ISBN 978-0812977684. | * Talese, Gay. 2007. ''The Kingdom and the Power: Behind the Scenes at The New York Times: The Institution That Influences the World.'' Random House Trade Paperbacks. ISBN 978-0812977684. | ||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
| − | *[http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/0312.html Obituary, NY Times, April 9, 1935, ''Adolph S. Ochs Dead at 77; Publisher of Times Since 1896''] | + | *[http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/0312.html Obituary, NY Times, April 9, 1935, ''Adolph S. Ochs Dead at 77; Publisher of Times Since 1896''] Retrieved June 24, 2007. |
| − | *[http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/ochs.html Jewish Virtual Library - Adolph Ochs] | + | *[http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/ochs.html Jewish Virtual Library - Adolph Ochs] Retrieved June 24, 2007. |
| − | *[http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/imagegallery.php?EntryID=O008 Tennessee Encyclopedia article] | + | *[http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/imagegallery.php?EntryID=O008 Tennessee Encyclopedia article] Retrieved June 24, 2007. |
| − | |||
{{Credits|Adolph_Ochs|117368180|}} | {{Credits|Adolph_Ochs|117368180|}} | ||
Revision as of 21:03, 24 June 2007
Adolph Simon Ochs (March 12, 1858–April 8, 1935) was an American newspaper publisher, and former owner of The New York Times. Under his leadership The New York Times became a pre-eminent American daily paper with sales of over one million, and is credited with winning ninety-four Pulitzer Prizes. Contrary to many of his peers at the time, he denounced yellow journalism and sensationalism, concerning himself only with trustworthy reporting and writing.
Life
Adolph Simon Ochs was born on March 12, 1858 to German-Jewish immigrants, Julius and Bertha Levy Ochs, in Cincinnati, Ohio. The family moved south to Knoxville, Tennessee due to his mother's Southern sympathies during the Civil War. His father, however, enlisted in the Union army, causing a strain on his home life.
Ochs began his newspaper career there at age 11, leaving grammar school to become a printer's assistant at the Knoxville Chronicle. At the age of 19, he borrowed $800 to purchase a controlling interest in the Chattanooga Times, becoming its publisher.
In 1896, at the age of 36, he again borrowed money to purchase The New York Times, a money-losing newspaper that had a wide range of competitors in New York City. His focus on objective news reporting (in a time when newspapers were openly and highly partisan), and a well-timed price decrease (from 3 cents per issue to 1 cent) led to its rescue from near oblivion, increasing its readership drastically.[1]
In 1884, Ochs married Effie Wise, the daughter of Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise of Cincinnati, who was the leading exponent of Reform Judaism in America and the founder of Hebrew Union College. Their only daughter, Iphigene Bertha Ochs, married Arthur Hays Sulzberger, who became publisher of the Times after Adolph died. Their son Arthur Ochs "Punch" Sulzberger subsequently became publisher of the Times and daughter, Ruth Holmberg, became publisher of the Chattanooga Times.[2]
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In 1904, Ochs moved the Times to a newly-built building on Longacre Square in Manhattan, which the City of New York then renamed as Times Square. On New Year's Eve 1904, Ochs had his new building at One Times Square illuminated with a fireworks show from street level.[3]
Adolph Ochs died on April 8, 1935 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the birth place of his newspaper career. One of his nephews, Julius Ochs Adler, worked at the Times for more than 40 years, becoming general manager in 1935 after Ochs' death.
Career
Adolph Ochs started at the Knoxville Chronicle as an office boy when he was 11, and at 13 he became an apprentice. In 1877, Ochs joined in a fruitless effort to establish the Chattanooga Dispatch. A year later, the owner of the Chattanooga Times was in financial straits and offered to sell to Ochs, then not old enough to vote. On July 2, 1878, with $37.50 working capital, Ochs became publisher of the Chattanooga Times upon handing over $250, which he had borrowed, and assuming $1,500 in debts. He showed a profit the first year. In 1892, Ochs built the Chattanooga Times Building, an outstanding addition to the developing city.[1]
In 1896, Ochs acquired control of the New York Times. He mortgaged and risked everything to "conduct a high standard newspaper, clean, dignified and trustworthy."[3] The New York Times followed the slogan "All the News That's Fit to Print." His tactics involved rejecting the yellow journalism and sensationalism that was typical of his contemporaries, such as Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst, and report news only that was true and verified.
When he acquired the paper, it had less than ten thousand readers. From 1896 to 1935 he raised the daily circulation enormously, and by the 1920s, the newspaper had nearly eight hundred thousand readers. He utilized new technology to circulate the paper to many areas outside of New York, and in 1904 the paper was responsible for the first on the spot wireless transmission of a naval battle, depicting a skirmish during the Russo-Japanese War.[2]
Ochs started the Sunday book supplement within ten years after taking over. In 1913 he began publishing the New York Times Index. In 1925 Ochs started advancing fifty thousand dollars annually for ten years toward the cost of producing the Dictionary of American Biography, a book featuring the biographies of prominent Americans. He established Current History Magazine in 1914, a journal originally created to provide coverage of World War 1. From 1900 until his death, he was a director for the Associated Press.[1]
Ochs also controlled the Philadelphia Times and the Philadelphia Public Ledger, which he merged and in 1913 sold to Cyrus H. K. Curtis. Curtis merged sections of this acquisition with The Philadelphia Inquirer, which remains one of Philadelphia's most prominent newspapers.
Legacy
The most important enterprise of Ochs' life was his recreation of the New York Times. Ochs' business tactics of steering away from sensationalist news and lowering the price of the paper, as well as relying on the rise of technology, gave a new breath of life to the ailing paper. To this day, the descendants of Ochs still maintain control over the paper, and it has become a pre-eminent American daily paper with a daily circulation of well over one million. It has won ninety-four Pulitzer Prizes, including a record of seven in 2002 alone.[4]
His expertise also helped the Chattanooga Times in Tennessee emerge out of its financial deficit and become a well circulated paper. Today, it is merged under the name Chatanooga Times Free Press and remains in circulation. He also owned newspapers in Philadelphia which today have become part of the Philadelphia Inquirer, a reputable newspaper with a long and rich history. His influence also helped establish Current History Magazine, which is still published today, and the Dictionary of American Biography.
Major Works
- Ochs took over The Chattanooga Times when the paper was failing. He turned it around and made it one of the most reputable newspapers in the South. In the late 1990s, the paper merged with the Chattanooga Free Press to make the Chattanooga Times Free Press which still remains in circulation today.
- Ochs bought the New York Times and turned its financial losses into profits. Times Square was named after the newspaper in 1904, and the paper remains under the control of his family today. It is one of the most well recognized newspapers in the world and has won many awards in journalism, including numerous Pulitzer Prizes.
- Ochs financed the creation of the Dictionary of American Biography, which was created between 1928 and 1936.
- Current History Magazine was founded by Ochs and the New York Times originally to educate the population on World War 1. In modern times, it seeks to educate its readers on global issues and conflicts.
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Johnson, Gerald W. 1946. Honorable Titan: A Biographical Study of Adolph S. Ochs. Harper and Brothers. ISBN 978-0837138367. Retrieved June 15, 2007.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 American Jewish Historical Society. 2007. Adolph Ochs. Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved June 20, 2007.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Talese, Gay. 2007. The Kingdom and the Power: Behind the Scenes at The New York Times: The Institution That Influences the World. Random House Trade Paperbacks. ISBN 978-0812977684. Retrieved June 20, 2007.
- ↑ Susan Tifft and Alex Jones. 1999. The Trust: The Private and Powerful Family behind The New York Times. Diane Pub Co. ISBN 978-0756787127. Retrieved June 20, 2007.
Reference
- Tifft, Susan. Jones, Alex. 1999. The Trust: The Private and Powerful Family behind The New York Times. Diane Pub Co. ISBN 978-0756787127.
- Johnson, Gerald W. 1946. Honorable Titan: A Biographical Study of Adolph S. Ochs. Harper and Brothers. ISBN 978-0837138367.
- Talese, Gay. 2007. The Kingdom and the Power: Behind the Scenes at The New York Times: The Institution That Influences the World. Random House Trade Paperbacks. ISBN 978-0812977684.
External links
- Obituary, NY Times, April 9, 1935, Adolph S. Ochs Dead at 77; Publisher of Times Since 1896 Retrieved June 24, 2007.
- Jewish Virtual Library - Adolph Ochs Retrieved June 24, 2007.
- Tennessee Encyclopedia article Retrieved June 24, 2007.
Credits
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