Frank E. Gannett

Frank Ernest Gannett (September 15, 1876 – December 3, 1957) was an American publisher who founded the media corporation Gannett Company, Inc. He began his career in 1906 as half owner of the Elmira Gazette. He soon added newspapers in Ithaca, Rochester, Utica, and other cities in upstate New York. At the time of his death, the chain included 22 daily newspapers, four radio stations, and three television stations, largely based in the state of New York. Gannett was known for granting editorial autonomy to the different media, while consolidating and standardizing business procedures and purchases. Gannett disliked sensationalism, so his media played down crime and scandal, and rejected advertising for liquor. A conservative Republican, he was active in state and national politics. He was the unsuccessful Republican candidate for governor of New York in 1936, and in 1942 was assistant chairman of the Republican National Committee. In 1935 he established the Gannett Foundation to own the business, and provide philanthropy.

Frank Gannett was born on September 15, 1876 to Charles and Maria Gannett. Gannett was one of four children and was raised in South Bristol, New York, by parents struggling to make ends meet first as farmers and later as hotel owners. Gannett's interest in the newspaper business began as a child, when he was a newspaper delivery boy for the Democrat & Chronicle. This job would provide Frank with money to buy his own clothes as well as some pocket money. After graduating from Bolivar High School in 1893, Gannett took a year off from schooling to raise enough money to further his education. During this break Gannett also took a competitive exam for a scholarship. Gannett was awarded the scholarship and would begin his college career at Cornell University. He was closely associated with Rochester's Unitarian Church.

Frank entered Cornell as part of the class of 1898 with $80 to his name. It was at Cornell that Gannett held five jobs and studied a variety of subjects. Since schools of journalism did not exist at the time, Gannett took courses in literature, history, civil and criminal law, government, Greek, and Latin. At the end of his freshman year, Gannett was elected as his class' correspondent for the school's newspaper, the Cornell Sun. Gannett held this post for one year until he acquired a paying job as a campus reporter for the Ithaca Journal. Soon after, he began selling reports to other newspapers as well. A quickly increasing demand led to Gannett hiring a group of students to help. Throughout his college career Frank would work for various magazines and newspapers. Gannett's time at Cornell was a successful one, leaving school with not only a B.A. degree, but $1,000 as well.

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