Frank Gannett
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Frank Ernest Gannett (September 15, 1876 - December 3, 1957) founded the Gannett media corporation. He was born in South Bristol, New York and graduated from Cornell University[1].
At the age of 30, he purchased his first newspaper, the Elmira Gazette (now the Star-Gazette). Six years later, in 1912, he purchased the Ithaca Journal. In 1918, he and his partners moved their headquarters to Rochester, New York where they acquired the old Union and Advertiser combined as the Times-Union (the former evening paper of Rochester)[2]. In 1923 Gannett bought out his partners and formed his eponymous holding company which then consisted of six newspapers. In 1928 Gannett had purchased the Democrat and Chronicle morning paper of Rochester[3]. By 1929 the company owned 16 newspapers[2].
Active in state politics, Gannett took a neutral stand to the New Deal in 1936 before joining the opposition against President Franklin D. Roosevelt's court-packing scheme. He helped the Republicans retake control of Rochester's City Council a year later. At one time (1939-1940), he ran for presidential nomination. He was a founding member of the National Committee to Uphold Constitutional Government.
In his remaining years he worked hard to modernize his regional newspaper conglomerate. He was always striving to obtain modern ideas and machinery. The Gannett company owned 22 newspapers at the time of Gannett's death in Rochester in 1957. However, it was only after he died that the company grew nation-wide. The Gannett Corporation that he founded today includes such newspapers as USA Today.
The libraries at Elmira College[4], Utica College[5], and Ithaca College[6] are named for him, in addition to the student health center at Cornell University (Gannett Health Services)[7] and the building that houses the printing and photography programs at Rochester Institute of Technology[8]. There is also the Frank E. Gannett Field House named after him at Wilson College in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania[9].
Frank Gannett is buried in historic Mt. Hope Cemetery in Rochester, New York[10].
[edit] References
- ^ http://rocwiki.org/Frank_Ernest_Gannett accessed 17 February 2008
- ^ a b http://www.westirondequoit.org/iroquois/Rochester/Gannett.htm accessed 17 February 2008
- ^ http://rocwiki.org/Democrat_%26_Chronicle accessed 17 February 2008
- ^ http://www.elmira.edu/academics/library/about/location Gannett-Tripp Library at Elmira College accessed 17 February 2008
- ^ http://www.utica.edu/academic/library/aboutlib/maps/UC%20Library%20Map.pdf Frank E. Gannett Memorial Library at Utica College accessed 17 February 2008
- ^ http://www.ithaca.edu/tour/gannett.php Gannett Center at Ithaca College accessed 17 February 2008
- ^ http://www.gannett.cornell.edu/ Gannett Health Services at Cornell University accessed 17 February 2008
- ^ http://whatsinaname.rit.edu/buildings/?id=7 RIT: What's In A Name?
- ^ http://www.wilson.edu/wilson/asp/content.asp?id=175 Frank E. Gannett Field House at Wilson College accessed 17 February 2008
- ^ http://www.fomh.org/history.php accessed 17 February 2008
