Joseph Medill
| Joseph Medill | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 26th Mayor of Chicago | |
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In office 1871–1873 |
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| Preceded by | Roswell B. Mason |
| Succeeded by | (Lester L. Bond), Harvey Doolittle Colvin |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
April 6, 1823 Saint John, New Brunswick, British North America |
| Died | March 16, 1899 (aged 75) San Antonio, Texas |
| Political party | Fireproof, Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Katherine "Kitty" Patrick Medill |
| Children | Katherine "Kate" Medill Elinor "Nellie" Medill Josephine "Josie" Medill |
| Residence | Wheaton, Illinois |
| Signature |  |
Joseph Medill (April 6, 1823 – March 16, 1899) was a Canadian-American newspaper editor, publisher, and Republican party politician. He was co-owner and managing editor of the Chicago Tribune, and was Mayor of Chicago after the great fire of 1871.
Joseph Medill was born April 6, 1823, in Saint John, New Brunswick, British North America to a Scots-Irish family. He read law in Ohio and was admitted to the Ohio Bar in 1846.
Medill married Katherine "Kitty" Patrick on September 2, 1852, and they had three daughters, Katherine, Elinor and Josephine (1866 - 1892).
In 1853, Medill and Edwin Cowles started the Leader, a newspaper in Cleveland, Ohio. (It was later absorbed by The Plain Dealer.) In 1854, the Tribune's part-owner, Captain J. D. Webster, asked Medill to become the paper's managing editor. Medill was further encouraged to come to Chicago by Dr. Charles H. Ray of Galena, Illinois, and editor Horace Greeley of the New York Tribune.
In 1855, Medill sold his interest in the Leader to Cowles, and bought the Tribune in partnership with Dr. Ray and Cowles' brother Alfred.
Under Medill's management, the Tribune flourished, becoming one of the largest newspapers in Chicago. Medill served as its managing editor until 1864, when Horace White became editor-in-chief. At that time Medill left day-to-day operations of the Tribune for political activities.
But White clashed with Medill over the presidential election of 1872. So, in 1873 Medill bought additional equity from Cowles and from White, becoming majority owner. In 1874, he replaced White as editor-in-chief. Medill served as editor-in-chief until his death.
Under Medill, the Tribune became the leading Republican newspaper in Chicago. Medill was strongly anti-slavery, supporting both the Free-Soil cause and Abolitionism. Medill was a major supporter of Abraham Lincoln in the 1850s. Medill and the Tribune were instrumental in Lincoln's presidential nomination, and were equally supportive of the Union cause during the American Civil War. The Tribune's chief adversary through this period was the Chicago Times, which supported the Democrats.
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Wikipedia