Frederick Gilmer Bonfils
Encyclopedia
Frederick Gilmer Bonfils (December 21, 1860 – February 2, 1933), U.S.
publisher who made the Denver Post into one of the largest newspapers in the United States.
Born in Troy, Missouri
, he entered the United States Military Academy
in 1878 but resigned in 1881 and went into land speculation in the Kansas
, Oklahoma
and Texas
booms. He purchased the Post with Harry Heye Tammen in 1895.
Bonfils had met Tammen at the Windsor Hotel in Denver, where Tammen was a bartender (and editor of the Great-Divide Weekly Newspaper, as well as a worker in a curio
store).
In December 1899 Tammen and Bonfils were shot in their Denver Post office by W.W. Anderson, an attorney representing "maneater" Alfred Packer after a Post article had accused Anderson of taking Packer's life savings as a retainer. In the scuffle in the office Bonfils was shot twice and Tammen three times. Anderson was tried three times but never convicted while Tammen and Bonfils were convicted for jury tampering in the third trial.
In 1900, both Bonfils and Tammen were horsewhip
ped and hospitalized by a lawyer who disliked their yellow journalism
. Bonfils took $250,000 hush-money from Harry F. Sinclair
in the Teapot Dome scandal
.
From 1904 to 1921 they owned the Sells-Floto Circus.
In 1909 Bonfils and Tammen bought the Kansas City Post
and owned it until selling it to Walter S. Dickey
in 1922. J. Ogden Armour
was a silent partner in the endeavor. The Post with its tabloid format, red headlines and yellow journalism
was closely tied to the rise of the Tom Pendergast
political machine in Kansas City. The Post was to fold shortly after the collapse of the machine.
Bonfils died of encephalitis
at his home in Denver, Colorado
in 1933 and was interred in the Fairmount Mausoleum
at Fairmount Cemetery
, Denver. At the time if his death, he was pursuing a libel lawsuit against the Posts competitor, the Rocky Mountain News
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
publisher who made the Denver Post into one of the largest newspapers in the United States.
Born in Troy, Missouri
Troy, Missouri
Troy is a city in Lincoln County, Missouri, United States. As of the 2010 census the population was 10,540. It is the county seat of Lincoln County.Troy is part of the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, he entered the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
in 1878 but resigned in 1881 and went into land speculation in the Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
and Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
booms. He purchased the Post with Harry Heye Tammen in 1895.
Bonfils had met Tammen at the Windsor Hotel in Denver, where Tammen was a bartender (and editor of the Great-Divide Weekly Newspaper, as well as a worker in a curio
Curio
Curio may refer to:* A strange and interesting object which evokes curiosity** Curio , a predominantly glass cabinet with a metal or wood framework used to display collections of curios...
store).
In December 1899 Tammen and Bonfils were shot in their Denver Post office by W.W. Anderson, an attorney representing "maneater" Alfred Packer after a Post article had accused Anderson of taking Packer's life savings as a retainer. In the scuffle in the office Bonfils was shot twice and Tammen three times. Anderson was tried three times but never convicted while Tammen and Bonfils were convicted for jury tampering in the third trial.
In 1900, both Bonfils and Tammen were horsewhip
Horsewhip
A horsewhip or horse whip is* a crop* a whip* a quirt* a tool used as an artificial riding aid* in zoology, the English name for a snake species Oxybelis aeneus...
ped and hospitalized by a lawyer who disliked their yellow journalism
Yellow journalism
Yellow journalism or the yellow press is a type of journalism that presents little or no legitimate well-researched news and instead uses eye-catching headlines to sell more newspapers. Techniques may include exaggerations of news events, scandal-mongering, or sensationalism...
. Bonfils took $250,000 hush-money from Harry F. Sinclair
Harry F. Sinclair
Harry Ford Sinclair was an American oil industrialist.-Early life:Harry Sinclair was born in Benwood, West Virginia, now a suburb of the city of Wheeling. Sinclair grew up in Independence, Kansas. The son of a pharmacist, after finishing high school, he entered the pharmacy department of the...
in the Teapot Dome scandal
Teapot Dome scandal
The Teapot Dome Scandal was a bribery incident that took place in the United States in 1922–23, during the administration of President Warren G. Harding. Secretary of the Interior Albert B. Fall leased Navy petroleum reserves at Teapot Dome and two other locations to private oil companies at low...
.
From 1904 to 1921 they owned the Sells-Floto Circus.
In 1909 Bonfils and Tammen bought the Kansas City Post
Kansas City Journal-Post
The Kansas City Journal-Post was a newspaper in Kansas City, Missouri from 1854 to 1942 which was the oldest newspaper in the city when it folded....
and owned it until selling it to Walter S. Dickey
Walter S. Dickey
Walter S. Dickey was a newspaper publisher, politician, and industrialist in Kansas City, Missouri.Dickey was born in Toronto and moved to Kansas City in 1885....
in 1922. J. Ogden Armour
J. Ogden Armour
Jonathan Ogden Armour was an American meatpacking magnate in Chicago, and owner and president of Armour and Company. During his tenure as president, Armour & Co...
was a silent partner in the endeavor. The Post with its tabloid format, red headlines and yellow journalism
Yellow journalism
Yellow journalism or the yellow press is a type of journalism that presents little or no legitimate well-researched news and instead uses eye-catching headlines to sell more newspapers. Techniques may include exaggerations of news events, scandal-mongering, or sensationalism...
was closely tied to the rise of the Tom Pendergast
Tom Pendergast
Thomas Joseph Pendergast controlled Kansas City and Jackson County, Missouri as a political boss. "Boss Tom" Pendergast gave workers jobs and helped elect politicians during the Great Depression, becoming wealthy in the process.-Early years:Thomas Joseph Pendergast, also known to close friends as...
political machine in Kansas City. The Post was to fold shortly after the collapse of the machine.
Bonfils died of encephalitis
Encephalitis
Encephalitis is an acute inflammation of the brain. Encephalitis with meningitis is known as meningoencephalitis. Symptoms include headache, fever, confusion, drowsiness, and fatigue...
at his home in Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
in 1933 and was interred in the Fairmount Mausoleum
Fairmount Mausoleum (Denver, Colorado)
Fairmount Mausoleum is a public mausoleum at Fairmount Cemetery in Denver, Colorado. The building was designed by architects Frederick E. Mountjoy and Francis W. Frewan...
at Fairmount Cemetery
Fairmount Cemetery (Denver, Colorado)
Fairmount Cemetery in Denver, Colorado was founded in 1890 and is Denver's second oldest operating cemetery after Riverside Cemetery. It was designed by German landscape architect Reinhard Schuetze...
, Denver. At the time if his death, he was pursuing a libel lawsuit against the Posts competitor, the Rocky Mountain News
Rocky Mountain News
The Rocky Mountain News was a daily newspaper published in Denver, Colorado, United States from April 23, 1859, until February 27, 2009. It was owned by the E. W. Scripps Company from 1926 until its closing. As of March 2006, the Monday-Friday circulation was 255,427...
.
External links
- Frederick Gilmer Bonfils photos via Library of Congress