William Rockhill Nelson

William Rockhill Nelson (March 7, 1841 – April 13, 1915) was a real estate developer and co-founder of The Kansas City Star. He donated his estate (and home) for the establishment of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

He was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana. His father was Isaac De Groff Nelson (1810–1891) and his mother was Elizabeth Rockhill (1816–1889), the daughter of William R. Rockhill (1793–1865), an important farmer and politician in Fort Wayne, Indiana. For a short time, Isaac Nelson owned The Sentinel newspaper, which became the (Fort Wayne News Sentinel). But I.D.G. Nelson, as he was fondly known for many years in Fort Wayne, was much more renowned as a nursey owner. His own estate, “Elm Park” was considered "the showplace of Allen County."

Nelson, as a 15-year-old attended the University of Notre Dame (which accepted high school students) at the time for two years which he described as "Botany Bay for bad boys." Notre Dame was reported to have asked that he not return.

He was admitted to the bar in 1862 and was a campaign manager for Democratic Presidential nominee Samuel J. Tilden. Tilden told him:

Nelson attempted to run a store in Savannah, Georgia but it failed. The southern sojourn was to earn him the nickname “The Colonel” even though he never served in the military. William Allen White said later:

Nelson along with Samuel Morss formally took over the Sentinel in 1879. In 1880 they moved to Kansas City and started the Star. At the time there were three daily competitors – the Evening Mail, The Kansas City Times and the Kansas City Journal. Nelson took over sole ownership of the paper within a few months.

Nelson's business strategy called for cheap advance subscriptions and an intention to be “absolutely independent in politics, aiming to deal by all men and all parties with impartiality and fearlessness.”

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