Journalistic Dynasty

Last summer Robert Paine Scripps suffered a throat hemorrhage shortly after he arrived in Honolulu aboard his trim ketch Novia Del Mar. Mr. Scripps, frail in his youth but strong in later years, confided to friends that he feared he would some day bleed to death. Last week that grave fear became a fearful fact. Stricken with another hemorrhage while his yacht rolled in Magdalena Bay, Lower California, Robert Scripps died at 42.

Death ended his control of more daily newspapers than any other man in the U. S. (Scripps-Howard chain of 24 dailies*), the second largest press association (United Press), two of the greatest newspaper syndicates (United Feature and N.E.A.), one of the leading news picture services (Acme), and three minor radio stations--a journalistic kingdom worth well over $100,000,000.

Founder of that empire was Robert Scripps's father, the late Edward Wyllis Scripps; but the founder of the Scripps journalistic dynasty was Robert's great-great-grandfather, William Scripps, who was born in England 26 years before the American Revolution and died in Missouri in 1823. Of William's 19 children, two became publishers (and another sired three publishers, one of whom, John Locke Scripps, was one of the founders of the Chicago Tribune).

William's son, William Armiger Scripps, publisher of the London Daily Sun, visited but never settled in the U. S. But William Armiger's son, James Mogg Scripps, came to the U. S. in 1844. By his second marriage James Mogg was the father of James E. Scripps who founded the Detroit News and whose family still rules the Detroit News and the Booth chain of newspapers in Michigan.

James Mogg, however, married a third time and begot Edward Wyllis Scripps who founded the Cleveland Press. E. W. Scripps had three sons. One of them, John P. Scripps, died at 26, but not before he had sired John P. Jr. who now publishes four papers in California. Another, James George Scripps, who died at 34, was given control of the Scripps papers in the Northwest, now known as the Scripps League, which are run by his sons. The third and youngest of E. W.'s sons was Robert who died last week.

Crusty E. W. Scripps who laid the foundations of the present Scripps-Howard empire was an extraordinary personality. An awkward, sensitive farm boy, born in Illinois, he grew up to despise formal education. Famed for his feuds and his acquisitiveness, he bullied advertisers and politicians, founded or acquired 44 newspapers from coast to coast, drank a gallon of spirits a day until he ruined his health at 46.

At twelve his son Robert announced he would be a poet. E. W. Scripps thought he would outgrow it, gave the boy a newspaper training, and suddenly installed him at 21 as editor-in-chief of the Scripps papers. In 1922, E. W. Scripps picked a selfmade Hoosier, Roy Wilson Howard, then chairman of United Press, gave him to Son Robert as a partner.

Last week a onetime Scripps-Howard writer, Forrest Davis, published a luckily-timed biography of Roy Howard in the Satevepost. Said he: "Scripps serves as king, with final power of yea and veto. Roy Howard is the prime minister, ruling boldly, conspicuously, restlessly, but only with Scripps's consent."

Before the death of E. W. Scripps in 1926. the Scripps-Howard papers were a great chain but they were not the household word--almost comparable with the name Hearst for press potency--which they are today. With the successful purchase of the New York Telegram and later of the great New York World, they moved into Manhattan and gained prestige. Meanwhile Scripps-Howard came to identify a type of journalism, popular but not vulgar, liberal (supporting Roosevelt in his first term) but independent (criticizing Roosevelt later).

With the death of Robert Scripps--none of whose two girls and four boys (chief beneficiaries of E. W.'s trust) is old enough to rule--Roy Howard, diminutive, dandified and able, last week became the head of the empire he had helped develop. His post: chairman of a triumvirate of trustees of whom the other two will be hard-working Board Chairman William Waller Hawkins and George Bertram ("Deake") Parker, talented editor-in-chief of Scripps-Howard papers.

* Next largest chain: Hearst's, with 19 dailies.

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