Henry Doorly | |
---|---|
Born |
Barbados |
November 9, 1879
Died | June 21, 1961 Omaha, Nebraska |
(aged 81)
Cause of death | Heart attack |
Resting place |
Forest Lawn Memorial Park Omaha, Nebraska |
Alma mater | Harrison College |
Occupation |
Editor, Publisher Omaha World-Herald |
Spouse(s) | Margaret Hitchcock Doorly (1884–1964) |
Henry Doorly (November 9, 1879 – June 21, 1961) was the chairman of the World Publishing Company and publisher of the Omaha World-Herald in Nebraska, founded by his father-in-law, U.S. Senator Gilbert Hitchcock. Doorly worked for the company for 58 years, and became a highly influential figure in the city. Shortly after his death, Omaha's zoo was renamed in his memory in 1963.
Born in Barbados to Martin E. Doorly and Katherine Carrington, Doorly was educated at Harrison College in Bridgetown. From 1896 to 1898 he studied civil engineering in the West Indies. Doorly arrived in Omaha in 1902 as a surveyor with the Union Pacific Railroad, he spent two years working as a draftsman with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Omaha. On September 7, 1904, Doorly married Margaret Hitchcock in Omaha, becoming the son-in-law of World-Herald publisher and politician Gilbert Hitchcock.
Beginning as a reporter for the Omaha World-Herald, Doorly failed miserably, retaining his job only because he was the publisher's daughter's fiancé. Doorly became successful after moving to advertisement sales, advancing to advertising manager and then business manager for the newspaper.
Doorly took control of the newspaper in 1934 when his father-in-law, Gilbert M. Hitchcock, died. Reflecting the changing nature of the major American political parties and Doorly's personal disenchantment with the New Deal in the 1930s, he implemented the newspaper's editorial page shift toward a Republican Party policy stance.