Scott, Charles Prestwich
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== Life == | == Life == | ||
| − | '''Charles Prestwich Scott''' was born in the city of Bath, in North East Somerset, [[England]] in October 1846, the 8th of 9 children. His father was Russell Scott, a successful businessman who owned the ''Manchester Guardian'' newspaper at the time of Charles' birth | + | '''Charles Prestwich Scott''' was born in the city of Bath, in North East Somerset, [[England]] in October 1846, the 8th of 9 children. His father was Russell Scott, a successful businessman who owned the ''Manchester Guardian'' newspaper at the time of Charles' birth. Russell Scott later sold the newspaper back to Taylor's sons under the terms of Taylor's will. |
| − | Charles was educated at Hove House, a Unitarian school in Brighton, and then at Clapham Grammar School. Beginning in October 1865, he attended [[Corpus Christi College, Oxford|Corpus Christi College]], [[University of Oxford|Oxford]]. He took a first in [[Greats]] in the autumn of 1869, and shortly thereafter embarked on a Grand Tour of Europe. In 1870, Charles went to [[Edinburgh]] for a 6-month apprenticeship at ''[[The Scotsman]]''. | + | Charles was educated at Hove House, a Unitarian school in Brighton, and then at Clapham Grammar School. Beginning in October 1865, he attended [[Corpus Christi College, Oxford|Corpus Christi College]], [[University of Oxford|Oxford]]. He took a first in [[Greats]] in the autumn of 1869, and shortly thereafter embarked on a Grand Tour of Europe. In 1870, Charles went to [[Edinburgh]] for a 6-month apprenticeship at ''[[The Scotsman]]''. It was at this time that Scott's uncle [[John Edward Taylor]] (who founded the ''Manchester Guardian'' in 1821) decided that he needed an editor based in Manchester. Scott joined the ''Guardian'' in February 1871 and was formally appointed its editor on January 1, 1872 at the age of 25. |
| − | + | In 1874, Scott married [[Rachel Cook]], the youngest daughter of [[John Cook]], a Professor of History at [[St. Andrews University]]. Rachel had been one of the first undergraduates of the College for Women, [[Hitchin]] (later [[Girton College, Cambridge]]). Together they had four children: Madeline (1876-1958); Lawrence Prestwich (1877-1908); John Russell (1879-1949); and Edward Taylor (1883-1932). | |
| − | + | Scott remained editor of the ''Manchester Guardian'' until July 1, 1929, at which time he was eighty-three years old and had been editor for exactly fifty-seven and a half years. His successor as editor was his youngest son, Edward Taylor, though C. P. remained as Governing Director of the company and was at the ''Guardian'' offices most evenings. He died in the small hours of New Year's Day 1932. His wife died in the midst of the dispute over Taylor's will. Their daughter Madeline married long-time ''Guardian'' contributor [[C. E. Montague]]. Eldest son Lawrence died in 1908 at the age of thirty-one, after contracting [tuberculosis]]. Their middle son John became the ''Guardian''s manager and founder of the [[Scott Trust]]. Youngest son Edward Taylor, who succeeded his father as editor, drowned in a sailing accident less than three years in the post. John and Edward jointly inherited the ownership of the Manchester Guardian & Evening News Ltd.; after Edward's death John passed it on to the Scott Trust. | |
== Work == | == Work == | ||
| − | + | As editor of the ''Guardian'', Scott initially maintained the well-established moderate Liberal line, "to the right of the party, to the right, indeed, of much of its own special reporting" (Ayerst, 1971). However, when in 1886 the [[British Whig Party|whigs]] led by [[Spencer Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire|Lord Hartington]] and a few radicals led by [[Joseph Chamberlain]] split the party to form the Liberal Unionist Party, and in turn gave their backing to the Conservatives, Scott's ''Guardian'' swung to the left and helped [[William Ewart Gladstone|Gladstone]] lead the party towards support for [[Ireland|Irish]] [[Home Rule]] and ultimately the "new liberalism." | |
| − | In | + | In 1886, Scott fought his first general election as a Liberal candidate, an unsuccessful attempt in the [[Manchester North East (UK Parliament constituency)|Manchester North East]] constituency. He stood again for the same seat in 1891 and 1892. He was elected at the [[United Kingdom general election, 1895|1895 election]] as MP for [[Leigh (UK Parliament constituency)|Leigh]], and thereafter spent long periods away in London during the parliamentary session. His combined position as a Liberal [[backbencher]], the editor of an important Liberal newspaper, and the president of the Manchester Liberal Federation made him an influential figure in Liberal circles, albeit in the middle of a long period of opposition. He was re-elected at the [[United Kingdom general election, 1900|1900 election]] despite the unpopular stand against the [[Second Boer War|Boer War]] that the ''Guardian'' had taken. He retired from Parliament at the time of the Liberal [[landslide victory]] in [[United Kingdom general election, 1906|1906]], at which time he was occupied with the difficult process of becoming owner of the newspaper he edited. |
| − | In | + | In 1905, the ''Guardian''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> owner, Edward Taylor, died. His will provided that the trustees of his estate should give Scott first refusal on the copyright of the ''Guardian'' at £10,000. He also recommended that they should offer him the offices and printing works of the paper on "moderate and reasonable terms." However, they were not required to sell it at all, and could continue to run the paper themselves "on the same lines and in the same spirit as heretofore." Furthermore, one of the trustees was a nephew of Taylor and would financially benefit from forcing up the price at which Scott could buy the paper. Another was the ''Guardian''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> manager, who faced losing his job if Scott took control. Scott was therefore forced to dig deep to buy the paper: he paid a total of £240,000, taking large loans from his sisters and from Taylor's widow (who had been his chief supporter among the trustees) to do so. Taylor's other paper, the ''[[Manchester Evening News]]'', was inherited by his nephews in the Allen family. Scott made an agreement to buy the ''MEN'' in 1922 and gained full control of it in 1929. |
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| + | In a famous 1921 essay marking the ''Manchester Guardian''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> centenary (at which time he had served nearly fifty years as editor), Scott put down his opinions on the role of the newspaper. He argued that the "primary office" of a newspaper is accurate news reporting: in his now-clichéd words, "comment is free, but facts are sacred." Even editorial comment has its responsibilities: "It is well to be frank; it is even better to be fair." A newspaper should have a "soul of its own," with staff motivated by a "common ideal": although the business side of a newspaper must be competent, if it becomes dominant the paper will face "distressing consequences." | ||
== Legacy == | == Legacy == | ||
Revision as of 20:23, 19 September 2007
Charles Prestwich Scott (October 26, 1846 – January 1, 1932) was a British journalist, publisher and politician. He was the editor of the Manchester Guardian from 1872 until 1929 and its owner from 1907 until his death. He was also a Liberal Member of Parliament and pursued a progressive liberal agenda in the pages of the newspaper.
Life
Charles Prestwich Scott was born in the city of Bath, in North East Somerset, England in October 1846, the 8th of 9 children. His father was Russell Scott, a successful businessman who owned the Manchester Guardian newspaper at the time of Charles' birth. Russell Scott later sold the newspaper back to Taylor's sons under the terms of Taylor's will.
Charles was educated at Hove House, a Unitarian school in Brighton, and then at Clapham Grammar School. Beginning in October 1865, he attended Corpus Christi College, Oxford. He took a first in Greats in the autumn of 1869, and shortly thereafter embarked on a Grand Tour of Europe. In 1870, Charles went to Edinburgh for a 6-month apprenticeship at The Scotsman. It was at this time that Scott's uncle John Edward Taylor (who founded the Manchester Guardian in 1821) decided that he needed an editor based in Manchester. Scott joined the Guardian in February 1871 and was formally appointed its editor on January 1, 1872 at the age of 25.
In 1874, Scott married Rachel Cook, the youngest daughter of John Cook, a Professor of History at St. Andrews University. Rachel had been one of the first undergraduates of the College for Women, Hitchin (later Girton College, Cambridge). Together they had four children: Madeline (1876-1958); Lawrence Prestwich (1877-1908); John Russell (1879-1949); and Edward Taylor (1883-1932).
Scott remained editor of the Manchester Guardian until July 1, 1929, at which time he was eighty-three years old and had been editor for exactly fifty-seven and a half years. His successor as editor was his youngest son, Edward Taylor, though C. P. remained as Governing Director of the company and was at the Guardian offices most evenings. He died in the small hours of New Year's Day 1932. His wife died in the midst of the dispute over Taylor's will. Their daughter Madeline married long-time Guardian contributor C. E. Montague. Eldest son Lawrence died in 1908 at the age of thirty-one, after contracting [tuberculosis]]. Their middle son John became the Guardians manager and founder of the Scott Trust. Youngest son Edward Taylor, who succeeded his father as editor, drowned in a sailing accident less than three years in the post. John and Edward jointly inherited the ownership of the Manchester Guardian & Evening News Ltd.; after Edward's death John passed it on to the Scott Trust.
Work
As editor of the Guardian, Scott initially maintained the well-established moderate Liberal line, "to the right of the party, to the right, indeed, of much of its own special reporting" (Ayerst, 1971). However, when in 1886 the whigs led by Lord Hartington and a few radicals led by Joseph Chamberlain split the party to form the Liberal Unionist Party, and in turn gave their backing to the Conservatives, Scott's Guardian swung to the left and helped Gladstone lead the party towards support for Irish Home Rule and ultimately the "new liberalism."
In 1886, Scott fought his first general election as a Liberal candidate, an unsuccessful attempt in the Manchester North East constituency. He stood again for the same seat in 1891 and 1892. He was elected at the 1895 election as MP for Leigh, and thereafter spent long periods away in London during the parliamentary session. His combined position as a Liberal backbencher, the editor of an important Liberal newspaper, and the president of the Manchester Liberal Federation made him an influential figure in Liberal circles, albeit in the middle of a long period of opposition. He was re-elected at the 1900 election despite the unpopular stand against the Boer War that the Guardian had taken. He retired from Parliament at the time of the Liberal landslide victory in 1906, at which time he was occupied with the difficult process of becoming owner of the newspaper he edited.
In 1905, the Guardian's owner, Edward Taylor, died. His will provided that the trustees of his estate should give Scott first refusal on the copyright of the Guardian at £10,000. He also recommended that they should offer him the offices and printing works of the paper on "moderate and reasonable terms." However, they were not required to sell it at all, and could continue to run the paper themselves "on the same lines and in the same spirit as heretofore." Furthermore, one of the trustees was a nephew of Taylor and would financially benefit from forcing up the price at which Scott could buy the paper. Another was the Guardian's manager, who faced losing his job if Scott took control. Scott was therefore forced to dig deep to buy the paper: he paid a total of £240,000, taking large loans from his sisters and from Taylor's widow (who had been his chief supporter among the trustees) to do so. Taylor's other paper, the Manchester Evening News, was inherited by his nephews in the Allen family. Scott made an agreement to buy the MEN in 1922 and gained full control of it in 1929.
In a famous 1921 essay marking the Manchester Guardian's centenary (at which time he had served nearly fifty years as editor), Scott put down his opinions on the role of the newspaper. He argued that the "primary office" of a newspaper is accurate news reporting: in his now-clichéd words, "comment is free, but facts are sacred." Even editorial comment has its responsibilities: "It is well to be frank; it is even better to be fair." A newspaper should have a "soul of its own," with staff motivated by a "common ideal": although the business side of a newspaper must be competent, if it becomes dominant the paper will face "distressing consequences."
Legacy
Major Works
Publications
- Scott, Charles Prestwich. 1911-1928. The political diaries of C.P. Scott. Cornell University Press. ISBN 080140596
- Scott, Charles Prestwich. 1872-1929. Editor. "The Manchester Guardian".
Quotations
- "Neither in what it gives, nor in what it does not give, nor in the mode of presentation, must the unclouded face of truth suffer wrong. Comment is free, but facts are sacred." (May 5, 1921) -C.P. Scott in marking the paper’s first hundred years. Scott served as editor of the Manchester Guardian for fifty-nine years; the longest editorship of a national newspaper anywhere in the world.
- "Television? The word is half Latin and half Greek. No good can come of it."
- "[A newspaper's] primary office is the gathering of news. At the peril of its soul it must see that the supply is not tainted."
- "Eagles come in all shapes and sizes, but you will recognize them chiefly by their attitudes."
- "The function of a good newspaper, and therefore of a good journalist, is to see life steady and see it whole."
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- David Ayerst, Guardian: Biography of a Newspaper London: Collins, 1971
- Guardian Unlimited Guardian Text Timeline. Retrieved September 19, 2007.
- C.P. Scott Spartacus Educational. Retrieved September 19, 2007.
External links
- Comment is free, but facts are sacred: Scott's famous essay
Credits
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