St. Louis Globe-Democrat

The St. Louis Globe-Democrat was originally a daily print newspaper based in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1852 until 1986. When the trademark registration on the name expired, it was then used as an unrelated free historically themed paper.[1]

St. Louis Globe-Democrat
TypeDaily newspaper
Owner(s)Newhouse Newspapers (1955–83)
FoundedJuly 1, 1852
LanguageEnglish
Ceased publicationOctober 30, 1986
HeadquartersSt. Louis, Missouri

Original publication (1852–1986)

It began operations on July 1, 1852, as The Daily Missouri Democrat,[2] changing its name to The Missouri Democrat in 1868,[3] then to The St. Louis Democrat in 1873.[4] It merged with the St. Louis Globe (founded in 1872)[5] to form the St. Louis Globe-Democrat in 1875.[6]

The newspaper was the morning paper for Greater St. Louis and had some competition from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (created by a merger of the St. Louis Post and the St. Louis Dispatch) and the St. Louis Star-Times (created by a merger of The St. Louis Star and The St. Louis Times). The Star-Times ceased operations in 1951.[7] Both the Globe-Democrat and the rival Post-Dispatch carried on for three more decades, eventually under a joint operating agreement, until the Globe-Democrat, after changing ownership and leaving the agreement, finally ceased operations in October 1986.

Casper Yost became editor of the paper in 1889. He later was a founder of the American Society of Newspaper Editors.

Frederick H. Britton was on the editorial staff of the Globe-Democrat in 1923.[8] Political commentator, syndicated columnist, author, politician, speechwriter, and broadcaster Pat Buchanan launched his career at the Globe-Democrat in 1961 (at the age of 23) as an editor.

History
The entrance to the Globe-Democrat building in 2012.

In their earliest days, the predecessor newspapers which eventually merged to form the St. Louis Globe-Democrat were staunch advocates of freedom and anti-slavery in Missouri. The Globe-Democrat eventually became the most widely read morning paper in St. Louis, with a huge circulation, and used this base of support to promote civic responsibility and great causes regarding urban improvements. A casualty in the 1980s of an antitrust collusion agreement between the heirs of SI Newhouse (Conde Nast, owner) and the St. Louis Post Dispatch to close the Globe and enter into a 50-year profit-sharing arrangement put the Globe-Democrat out of business.

In 1968, the Globe-Democrat went to the U.S. Supreme Court to defend itself against claims that setting maximum prices for newspaper deliveries violated antitrust law. In Albrecht v. Herald Co., the majority found the paper guilty of vertical price fixing.

The Globe-Democrat had operated since 1959 under the protection of the Failing Newspaper Act, under which papers must show proof of irreversible financial losses before closing. The Post-Dispatch, owned by the Pulitzer Publishing Company, handled all printing and publication for both papers. Advertising was sold jointly, and profits were shared equally.

In St. Louis, the morning advantage was reduced by the terms of the joint operating agreement entered into by the two papers in 1959 and expanded in 1969 and 1979. The papers shared all business and advertising functions, with only the news functions separate. Until the last fiscal year, the Post-Globe agency, as the joint operation was known, operated in the red. The agency was said to be making a marginal profit that year.[9]

In August 1986 the paper filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. At the time the newspaper listed $8 million in debts. In December the newspaper suspended publication.[10]

In January 1986 Veritas Corporation purchased the paper for $500,000. Veritas, formed by businessmen John B. Prentis and William E. Franke committed to contribute $4 million to the newspaper's operations.[11] The Globe-Democrat ended publication in October after the newspaper failed to secure a necessary $15 million loan from the state of Missouri. An attorney had challenged the legality of the state's ability to grant that particular bond package, passed in the state legislature earlier that year.[12]

The Globe-Democrat Building at 710 N. Tucker Blvd. in downtown St. Louis is still used for office, datacenters, and retail space by various businesses and organizations on a rental basis. This building was built in 1931 and designed by St. Louis firm Mauran, Russell & Crowell.

The Globe-Democrat's 10,000,000-square-foot (930,000 m2) morgue of articles and photographs is housed in the St. Louis Mercantile Library at the University of Missouri–St. Louis.

Since 1993 the St. Louis Globe-Democrat has been published as a history and nostalgia paper. This publication was founded as the St. Louis Inquirer in 1986 and later acquired the Globe-Democrat name.

Notable people

See also

References
  1. http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2009/12/14/daily5.html
  2. http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84020153/
  3. http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84020154/
  4. http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84020155/
  5. http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84020219/
  6. http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045405/
  7. Parker, Stephen. "Press Club to reminisce about St. Louis Star-Times". Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  8. Newspaper article, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Dec. 20, 1923.
  9. "ST. LOUIS GLOBE-DEMOCRAT ANNOUNCES IT WILL CLOSE THIS YEAR". The New York Times. 8 November 1983. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  10. "Offer Is Submitted For St. Louis Paper". The New York Times. 24 December 1985. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  11. "Two Men in St. Louis Buy Globe-Democrat". The New York Times. UPI. 16 January 1986. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  12. Jones, Alex S. (30 October 1986). "THE ST. LOUIS GLOBE-DEMOCRAT CEASES PUBLICATION". The New York TImes. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
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