George Dealey
Encyclopedia
George Bannerman Dealey (1859–1946) was a Dallas, Texas
, businessman.
Dealey was the long-time publisher of The Dallas Morning News
. He used his influence to accomplish many goals but will always be remembered primarily for one of them. He crusaded for the redevelopment of a particularly blighted area near downtown Dallas. When the redevelopment, involving a large square located at the intersection of three major avenues, was completed, it was named Dealey Plaza
in his honor. This site became known worldwide when, on November 22, 1963, President
John F. Kennedy
was assassinated
while his motorcade drove through Dealey Plaza.
, Manchester
, England
. He was the fifth of ten children.
In the mid-1860s the family moved to Liverpool, England, where he began his schooling and worked as a grocer's apprentice. In 1870 his family immigrated to Galveston, Texas
, where he continued in public school and worked at various odd jobs. On October 12, 1874 he assumed an older brother's job as office boy at The Galveston News
at $3.00 per week, for the owner Colonel A. H. Belo. He worked for this publishing concern, which he later bought the rest of his life. Dealey took evening classes at the Island City Business College and rose steadily at the News. He became a traveling correspondent who sent news stories and business and circulation reports back to Galveston.
In 1884 the News sent him to North Texas to determine a suitable location for a sister publication; he concluded that Dallas was the best choice, and on October 1, 1885 The Dallas Morning News issued its first edition. By 1895 he became manager of the paper. He became a board member of both newspapers in 1902, vice president and general manager of the corporation in 1906, and president in 1919, upon the death of Cesar M. Lombardi. In 1926 Dealey bought the Dallas Morning News, the Journal (an evening edition), the Semi-Weekly Farm News, and the Texas Almanac from the heirs of Alfred H. Belo and acquired the majority of the company stock. He was its publisher, still working each day, when he died of a massive coronary occlusion
at his home at 3704 Alice Circle in Dallas in the early afternoon of February 26, 1946 at the age of 86. He was buried in Grove Hill Cemetery in Dallas.
Dealey was a principled journalist. The News was perpetually enlisted in the cause of civic planning. A Dealey campaign of 1899 led to the foundation of the Cleaner Dallas League, which became the Dallas Civic Improvement League in 1902. Dealey's efforts were instrumental in the adoption of the original plan to improve Dallas by city planner George E. Kessler in 1910. Dealey refused advertising that he considered dishonest or immoral, including ads for hard liquor and even for oilfield promotions, since he could not determine sound from unsound petroleum ventures. The News also crusaded against the Ku Klux Klan's influence in the 1920s.
Dealey's other business interests included the G. B. Dealey Land Company and the West Commerce Realty Company. He pioneered in newspaper-owned radio stations by opening WFAA in 1922. He helped establish Southern Methodist University and was instrumental in obtaining the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas for the city.
Dealey's personal involvement in civic activities included serving on the board of governors of the American City Planning Institute (1920–21), as vice president of the National Municipal League (1923–24), on the advisory council of the American Planning and Civic Association, and on the national committee of the Commission on Interracial Cooperation. He was a director of the Children's Hospital of Texas and was president of the Family Bureau, a pioneer Dallas social agency, from its inception in 1908. He was also president of the Philosophical Society of Texas, a member of the Texas Press Association, an honorary life member of the Texas State Historical Association, founder (1922) and lifetime president (from 1933) of the Dallas Historical Society, second vice president of the Associated Press (1923–24), an honorary national president of Sigma Delta Chi (1940–41), and an honorary member of Phi Beta Kappa (1943). He received honorary doctoral degrees from Southern Methodist University (1921), Austin College (1924), and the University of Missouri (1925), the last of which invited him to accept a gift to its school of journalism from the British Empire Press Union.
He married Olivia Allen at her home in Lexington, Missouri
on April 9, 1884. She was born in Lexington on November 14, 1863 and died at her home in Dallas on January 28, 1960. She had succeeded her husband as chairman of the board of A. H. Belo Corporation and was serving in that capacity when she died.
Dealey was a Thirty-third-degree Scottish Rite Mason, Knight Templar, Shriner, and member of the Red Cross of Constantine. He was a Presbyterian and Democrat. Dealey Plaza, as noted above in Downtown Dallas was named for him, after his death. The New York Times called him the dean of American publishers. He died at his home in Dallas on February 26, 1946, of a coronary occlusion.
The Dealeys had two sons: Walter Allen, E.M. (Ted), and three daughters. E.M. (Ted) Dealey (1892–1969), succeeded his father as publisher of the Morning News. A younger brother, James Q. Dealey (1861–1937), was a professor of political science at Brown University
and, after retiring from Brown, editor of the Morning News. A nephew, Samuel David Dealey
(1906–1944), was a World War II naval hero, who received the Medal of Honor and for whom a destroyer escort
was named. James M. Moroney III, the current publisher of the Morning News, is Dealey's great-grandson. Another great-grandson, Dr. Walter Allen (Al) Dealey, left the family business to go into the ministry and studied under the legendary and internationally known Dr. Norman Vincent Peale
of New York City.
His grave is located at Grove Hill Memorial Park, in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, businessman.
Dealey was the long-time publisher of The Dallas Morning News
The Dallas Morning News
The Dallas Morning News is the major daily newspaper serving the Dallas, Texas area, with a circulation of 264,459 subscribers, the Audit Bureau of Circulations reported in September 2010...
. He used his influence to accomplish many goals but will always be remembered primarily for one of them. He crusaded for the redevelopment of a particularly blighted area near downtown Dallas. When the redevelopment, involving a large square located at the intersection of three major avenues, was completed, it was named Dealey Plaza
Dealey Plaza
Dealey Plaza , in the historic West End district of downtown Dallas, Texas , is the location of the assassination of John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963...
in his honor. This site became known worldwide when, on November 22, 1963, 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....
John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
was assassinated
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
while his motorcade drove through Dealey Plaza.
Life
Dealey was born on September 18, 1859 at the home of his parents, George Dealey (1829–1894) and Mary Ann Nellins (1829–1913), on Queen St., RusholmeRusholme
-Etymology:Rusholme, unlike other areas of Manchester which have '-holme' in the place name is not a true '-holme'. Its name came from ryscum, which is the dative plural of Old English rysc "rush": "[at the] rushes"...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He was the fifth of ten children.
In the mid-1860s the family moved to Liverpool, England, where he began his schooling and worked as a grocer's apprentice. In 1870 his family immigrated to Galveston, Texas
Galveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
, where he continued in public school and worked at various odd jobs. On October 12, 1874 he assumed an older brother's job as office boy at The Galveston News
The Galveston County Daily News
The Daily News, formerly the Galveston County Daily News and Galveston Daily News, is a newspaper published in Galveston, Texas, United States. It was first published April 11, 1842, making it the oldest newspaper in the U.S. state of Texas. The newspaper founded The Dallas Morning News on October...
at $3.00 per week, for the owner Colonel A. H. Belo. He worked for this publishing concern, which he later bought the rest of his life. Dealey took evening classes at the Island City Business College and rose steadily at the News. He became a traveling correspondent who sent news stories and business and circulation reports back to Galveston.
In 1884 the News sent him to North Texas to determine a suitable location for a sister publication; he concluded that Dallas was the best choice, and on October 1, 1885 The Dallas Morning News issued its first edition. By 1895 he became manager of the paper. He became a board member of both newspapers in 1902, vice president and general manager of the corporation in 1906, and president in 1919, upon the death of Cesar M. Lombardi. In 1926 Dealey bought the Dallas Morning News, the Journal (an evening edition), the Semi-Weekly Farm News, and the Texas Almanac from the heirs of Alfred H. Belo and acquired the majority of the company stock. He was its publisher, still working each day, when he died of a massive coronary occlusion
Coronary occlusion
A coronary occlusion is the partial or complete obstruction of blood flow in a coronary artery. This condition may cause a heart attack.In some patients coronary occlusion causes only mild pain, tightness or vague discomfort which may be ignored: the myocardium is however damaged....
at his home at 3704 Alice Circle in Dallas in the early afternoon of February 26, 1946 at the age of 86. He was buried in Grove Hill Cemetery in Dallas.
Dealey was a principled journalist. The News was perpetually enlisted in the cause of civic planning. A Dealey campaign of 1899 led to the foundation of the Cleaner Dallas League, which became the Dallas Civic Improvement League in 1902. Dealey's efforts were instrumental in the adoption of the original plan to improve Dallas by city planner George E. Kessler in 1910. Dealey refused advertising that he considered dishonest or immoral, including ads for hard liquor and even for oilfield promotions, since he could not determine sound from unsound petroleum ventures. The News also crusaded against the Ku Klux Klan's influence in the 1920s.
Dealey's other business interests included the G. B. Dealey Land Company and the West Commerce Realty Company. He pioneered in newspaper-owned radio stations by opening WFAA in 1922. He helped establish Southern Methodist University and was instrumental in obtaining the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas for the city.
Dealey's personal involvement in civic activities included serving on the board of governors of the American City Planning Institute (1920–21), as vice president of the National Municipal League (1923–24), on the advisory council of the American Planning and Civic Association, and on the national committee of the Commission on Interracial Cooperation. He was a director of the Children's Hospital of Texas and was president of the Family Bureau, a pioneer Dallas social agency, from its inception in 1908. He was also president of the Philosophical Society of Texas, a member of the Texas Press Association, an honorary life member of the Texas State Historical Association, founder (1922) and lifetime president (from 1933) of the Dallas Historical Society, second vice president of the Associated Press (1923–24), an honorary national president of Sigma Delta Chi (1940–41), and an honorary member of Phi Beta Kappa (1943). He received honorary doctoral degrees from Southern Methodist University (1921), Austin College (1924), and the University of Missouri (1925), the last of which invited him to accept a gift to its school of journalism from the British Empire Press Union.
He married Olivia Allen at her home in Lexington, Missouri
Lexington, Missouri
Lexington is a city in Lafayette County, Missouri, United States. The population was 4,453 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Lafayette County. Located in western Missouri, Lexington lies about 40 miles east of Kansas City and is part of the Greater Kansas City Metropolitan Area...
on April 9, 1884. She was born in Lexington on November 14, 1863 and died at her home in Dallas on January 28, 1960. She had succeeded her husband as chairman of the board of A. H. Belo Corporation and was serving in that capacity when she died.
Dealey was a Thirty-third-degree Scottish Rite Mason, Knight Templar, Shriner, and member of the Red Cross of Constantine. He was a Presbyterian and Democrat. Dealey Plaza, as noted above in Downtown Dallas was named for him, after his death. The New York Times called him the dean of American publishers. He died at his home in Dallas on February 26, 1946, of a coronary occlusion.
The Dealeys had two sons: Walter Allen, E.M. (Ted), and three daughters. E.M. (Ted) Dealey (1892–1969), succeeded his father as publisher of the Morning News. A younger brother, James Q. Dealey (1861–1937), was a professor of political science at Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
and, after retiring from Brown, editor of the Morning News. A nephew, Samuel David Dealey
Samuel David Dealey
Samuel David Dealey was a United States Navy submarine commanding officer during World War II. He was among the most decorated naval officers of the war, receiving six awards for valor including the Medal of Honor for his actions aboard the during her fifth war patrol.-Early Life and...
(1906–1944), was a World War II naval hero, who received the Medal of Honor and for whom a destroyer escort
Destroyer escort
A destroyer escort is the classification for a smaller, lightly armed warship designed to be used to escort convoys of merchant marine ships, primarily of the United States Merchant Marine in World War II. It is employed primarily for anti-submarine warfare, but also provides some protection...
was named. James M. Moroney III, the current publisher of the Morning News, is Dealey's great-grandson. Another great-grandson, Dr. Walter Allen (Al) Dealey, left the family business to go into the ministry and studied under the legendary and internationally known Dr. Norman Vincent Peale
Norman Vincent Peale
Dr. Norman Vincent Peale was a minister and author and a progenitor of the theory of "positive thinking".-Early life and education:...
of New York City.
Legacy
- The New York Times called him the Dean of American Publishers.
- The Dallas Independent School DistrictDallas Independent School DistrictThe Dallas Independent School District is a school district based in Dallas, Texas . Dallas ISD, which operates schools in much of Dallas County, is the second largest school district in Texas and the twelfth largest in the United States.In 2009, the school district was rated "academically...
operates George Bannerman Dealey Montessori School, an elementary school named for him and located in the Preston Royal area of north Dallas.
His grave is located at Grove Hill Memorial Park, in Dallas, Texas
External links
- George Bannerman Dealey in Handbook of TexasHandbook of TexasThe Handbook of Texas is a comprehensive encyclopedia of Texas geography, history, and historical persons published by the Texas State Historical Association .-History:...
Online - E. M. (Ted) Dealey in Handbook of TexasHandbook of TexasThe Handbook of Texas is a comprehensive encyclopedia of Texas geography, history, and historical persons published by the Texas State Historical Association .-History:...
Online - Joseph MacDonald Dealey in Handbook of TexasHandbook of TexasThe Handbook of Texas is a comprehensive encyclopedia of Texas geography, history, and historical persons published by the Texas State Historical Association .-History:...
Online - James Q. Dealey in Handbook of TexasHandbook of TexasThe Handbook of Texas is a comprehensive encyclopedia of Texas geography, history, and historical persons published by the Texas State Historical Association .-History:...
Online - Samuel David Dealey in Handbook of TexasHandbook of TexasThe Handbook of Texas is a comprehensive encyclopedia of Texas geography, history, and historical persons published by the Texas State Historical Association .-History:...
Online - http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/DD/eed12.htmlDallas Morning News in Handbook of TexasHandbook of TexasThe Handbook of Texas is a comprehensive encyclopedia of Texas geography, history, and historical persons published by the Texas State Historical Association .-History:...
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