Corvallis Gazette-Times
Encyclopedia
The Corvallis Gazette-Times is a daily newspaper in Corvallis
, Oregon
, United States
. The newspaper, along with its sister publication, the Albany Democrat-Herald
is owned by Lee Enterprises
of Davenport, Iowa
. The Corvallis newspaper has a daily circulation of 11,524, and a Sunday circulation of 12,021.
The Times was operated by N.R. Moore, who had leased the paper from B.F. Irvine, who had left Corvallis to write editorials for the Oregon Journal
in Portland, Oregon
. The Gazette was under the direction of Charles L. Springer, formerly of Montesano, Washington
and owned by M.S. Woodcock, a prominent Benton County
lawyer and businessman who later opened a successful bank in the county, and later served as Corvallis Mayor. According to historical accounts, they decided on the name Gazette-Times after a coin toss.
pro-Abraham Lincoln
newspaper , with T. B. Odeneal as its editor. Odeneal had previously edited another Corvallis newspaper, The Democratic Crisis, a pro-Southern newspaper, beginning in 1859. Odeneal had been converted to the Republican cause after Lincoln's election as United States President
in 1860.
Later editors of The Gazette included W. F. Boyakin in 1865 and William B. Carter later in the 1860s. Under Carter the paper came to support the cause of prohibition
. This was a controversial political stance to take in a town where half the businesses were saloons.
The paper's advocacy of prohibition changed in 1870 when Samuel L. Simpson became editor in 1870. In an editorial explaining the change he wrote:
Carter later returned as editor and remained at that post until his death in 1880. Later editors included W. P. Keady, later Speaker of Oregon House of Representatives
in the Oregon Legislative Assembly
; Will H. Parry who later founded the Capital Journal in Salem, Oregon
; and later Springer, who launched the Gazette's daily edition in 1909.
The Gazette was known briefly as a The Union Gazette following its 1899 merger with the Oregon Union which had been founded in 1897. The Union portion of the name was soon dropped.
dominated local politics in Corvallis and surrounding Benton County. The Gazette's owners, M.S. Woodcock, A.P. Churchill and Wallace Baldwin, who had taken over the paper in 1884 were closely allied with the interests of the railroad.
Gazette editor C.A. Cole, was according to one account fired for refusing to obey instructions of the paper's owners to support a Democratic, pro-railroad candidate for state senator. He lost his job the day after the election. Wishing to explain to the community why he had been fired, Cole secured permission to publish an issue under the condition that the proofs first be submitted for approval by a railroad representative. Cole never did submit the proofs for approval.
Republicans, sensing opportunity, decided to finance another paper. The Corvallis Chronicle debuted as a weekly paper published on Fridays in 1886, with Cole as its editor. The paper did not succeed and soon folded.
In 1888, a local businessman, Robert Johnson, who had previously worked as city editor of The Gazette, bought the Chronicles printing press and assets at a sheriff's auction. He launched The Corvallis Times with the slogan "Independent, Fearless and Free." Johnson operated The Times until 1893, when he sold it to Benjamin Franklin Irvine, a telegraph operator for the railroad. Irvine acquired another area newspaper The Benton Leader, founded in 1882 with The Times.
Springer had come to town and purchased the Gazette and on May 1, 1909 published its first daily edition. It had four pages and five columns.
Still, neither Springer, nor Moore had sufficient resources to publish a daily newspaper over the long term. They agreed to consolidate, and flipped a coin to decide the name. The first issue of The Gazette-Times appeared on July 2, 1909.
Claude Ingalls, who came to Corvallis from Washington, Kansas
bought out Springer's share in the paper in 1915. Myron K. Myers bought out Moore's share in 1923. Myers' son, Bruce, later shared ownership with Ingalls' son, Robert C. Ingalls. They assumed the top positions at the paper when their fathers retired in 1950.
Lee Enterprises
bought the newspaper on October 1, 1969 and continues to operate it to the present day.
Corvallis, Oregon
Corvallis is a city located in central western Oregon, United States. It is the county seat of Benton County and the principal city of the Corvallis, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Benton County. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 54,462....
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The newspaper, along with its sister publication, the Albany Democrat-Herald
Albany Democrat-Herald
The Albany Democrat-Herald is the daily newspaper of Albany, Oregon, United States. Lee Enterprises owns both the Democrat-Herald and the Corvallis Gazette-Times. The two papers publish a joint Sunday edition, the Mid-Valley Times...
is owned by Lee Enterprises
Lee Enterprises
Lee Enterprises is a publicly traded American media company. It publishes 54 daily newspapers in 23 states, and more than 300 weekly, classified, and specialty publications. Lee Enterprises was founded in 1890 by A.W. Lee and is based in Davenport, Iowa....
of Davenport, Iowa
Davenport, Iowa
Davenport is a city located along the Mississippi River in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Davenport is the county seat of and largest city in Scott County. Davenport was founded on May 14, 1836 by Antoine LeClaire and was named for his friend, George Davenport, a colonel during the Black Hawk...
. The Corvallis newspaper has a daily circulation of 11,524, and a Sunday circulation of 12,021.
History
The paper was created in 1909 as the result of the merger of two competing weekly newspapers, The Corvallis Gazette, and The Corvallis Times.The Times was operated by N.R. Moore, who had leased the paper from B.F. Irvine, who had left Corvallis to write editorials for the Oregon Journal
Oregon Journal
The Oregon Journal was Portland, Oregon's daily afternoon newspaper from 1902 to 1982. The Journal was founded in Portland by C. S. Jackson, the publisher of Pendleton, Oregon's East Oregonian newspaper, after a group of Portlanders convinced Jackson to help in the reorganization of the Portland...
in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. The Gazette was under the direction of Charles L. Springer, formerly of Montesano, Washington
Montesano, Washington
Montesano is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States. The population was 3,976 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Grays Harbor County.-History:Montesano was first settled in 1852 by Isaiah L. Scammon....
and owned by M.S. Woodcock, a prominent Benton County
Benton County, Oregon
-National protected areas:*Siuslaw National Forest *William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 78,153 people, 30,145 households, and 18,237 families residing in the county. The population density was 116 people per square mile . There were 31,980...
lawyer and businessman who later opened a successful bank in the county, and later served as Corvallis Mayor. According to historical accounts, they decided on the name Gazette-Times after a coin toss.
The Corvallis Gazette
The Gazette first appeared in Corvallis in 1862 as a RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
pro-Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
newspaper , with T. B. Odeneal as its editor. Odeneal had previously edited another Corvallis newspaper, The Democratic Crisis, a pro-Southern newspaper, beginning in 1859. Odeneal had been converted to the Republican cause after Lincoln's election as United States President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
in 1860.
Later editors of The Gazette included W. F. Boyakin in 1865 and William B. Carter later in the 1860s. Under Carter the paper came to support the cause of prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
. This was a controversial political stance to take in a town where half the businesses were saloons.
The paper's advocacy of prohibition changed in 1870 when Samuel L. Simpson became editor in 1870. In an editorial explaining the change he wrote:
"Temperance ceases to be the speciality of this paper, as, in fact, it is not the forte of the present editor. Right here the bright habiliments of neutrality are laid aside forever, and wheeling into line the good champion of prohibition goes down in the smoke and fury of political war."
Carter later returned as editor and remained at that post until his death in 1880. Later editors included W. P. Keady, later Speaker of Oregon House of Representatives
Oregon House of Representatives
The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 57,000. The House meets at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem....
in the Oregon Legislative Assembly
Oregon Legislative Assembly
The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper and lower house: the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the House of Representatives, with 60 members elected to...
; Will H. Parry who later founded the Capital Journal in Salem, Oregon
Salem, Oregon
Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
; and later Springer, who launched the Gazette's daily edition in 1909.
The Gazette was known briefly as a The Union Gazette following its 1899 merger with the Oregon Union which had been founded in 1897. The Union portion of the name was soon dropped.
The Corvallis Times
The Times traces its lineage first to the founding of The Corvallis Chronicle in 1886. During the 1880s the construction of the Oregon Pacific RailroadOregon Pacific Railroad
Oregon Pacific Railroad or Oregon Pacific Railway may refer to:* Oregon Pacific Railroad , railroad from Yaquina Bay to Santiam Pass* Oregon Pacific Railroad , shortline railroad on the east side of Portland...
dominated local politics in Corvallis and surrounding Benton County. The Gazette's owners, M.S. Woodcock, A.P. Churchill and Wallace Baldwin, who had taken over the paper in 1884 were closely allied with the interests of the railroad.
Gazette editor C.A. Cole, was according to one account fired for refusing to obey instructions of the paper's owners to support a Democratic, pro-railroad candidate for state senator. He lost his job the day after the election. Wishing to explain to the community why he had been fired, Cole secured permission to publish an issue under the condition that the proofs first be submitted for approval by a railroad representative. Cole never did submit the proofs for approval.
Republicans, sensing opportunity, decided to finance another paper. The Corvallis Chronicle debuted as a weekly paper published on Fridays in 1886, with Cole as its editor. The paper did not succeed and soon folded.
In 1888, a local businessman, Robert Johnson, who had previously worked as city editor of The Gazette, bought the Chronicles printing press and assets at a sheriff's auction. He launched The Corvallis Times with the slogan "Independent, Fearless and Free." Johnson operated The Times until 1893, when he sold it to Benjamin Franklin Irvine, a telegraph operator for the railroad. Irvine acquired another area newspaper The Benton Leader, founded in 1882 with The Times.
The Gazette and Times combine
The events leading to the combination of Corvallis' two major newspapers began in 1908. Times owner Irvine had taken a job writing editorials for the Oregon Journal and had leased the paper out to N.R. Moore, who then purchased the paper outright in 1909. With economic conditions improving in the city, Moore had planned to begin publishing a daily edition.Springer had come to town and purchased the Gazette and on May 1, 1909 published its first daily edition. It had four pages and five columns.
Still, neither Springer, nor Moore had sufficient resources to publish a daily newspaper over the long term. They agreed to consolidate, and flipped a coin to decide the name. The first issue of The Gazette-Times appeared on July 2, 1909.
Claude Ingalls, who came to Corvallis from Washington, Kansas
Washington, Kansas
Washington is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,131.-Geography:Washington is...
bought out Springer's share in the paper in 1915. Myron K. Myers bought out Moore's share in 1923. Myers' son, Bruce, later shared ownership with Ingalls' son, Robert C. Ingalls. They assumed the top positions at the paper when their fathers retired in 1950.
Lee Enterprises
Lee Enterprises
Lee Enterprises is a publicly traded American media company. It publishes 54 daily newspapers in 23 states, and more than 300 weekly, classified, and specialty publications. Lee Enterprises was founded in 1890 by A.W. Lee and is based in Davenport, Iowa....
bought the newspaper on October 1, 1969 and continues to operate it to the present day.
Further reading
- Turnbull, George Stanely. History of Oregon Newspapers. Portland, Oregon: Binford & Mort Publishers. 1939. PP. 225–232.
External links
- Corvallis Gazette-Times (official website)
- Lee Enterprises site about the Corvallis Gazette-Times