Joseph E. Atkinson

Joseph E. Atkinson (December 23, 1865 – May 8, 1948) was a Canadian newspaper editor and activist. Under his leadership the Toronto Star became one of the largest and most influential newspapers in Canada. Atkinson amassed a considerable fortune, eventually holding the controlling interest in the paper he edited. On his death, control of the paper passed to the trustees of the Atkinson Foundation, a major Canadian charity.

Early life

Atkinson was born near Newcastle, Ontario in 1865. His early life was difficult, creating conditions which would eventually lead to his social activism. His father died when he was six months old, his mother when he was thirteen.

At about the age of 16, while working at the post office, he began to sign his name as "Joseph E. Atkinson" even though he had been given no middle name at birth. [Ross Harkness, "J. E. Atkinson of the Star", University of Toronto Press, 1963, p. 5] Looking for a better job, Atkinson hoped to become a banker, but through his post office work he found out about a job opening at the "Port Hope Times", a weekly newspaper in Port Hope, Ontario. He joined the paper at age 18, initially collecting accounts. When the "Times" started publishing daily, Atkinson became a reporter. [Ross Harkness, "J. E. Atkinson of the Star", University of Toronto Press, 1963, p. 7]

In October 1888, he jumped to the "Toronto World" and a few months later joined the "Globe", one of the newspapers which would become "The Globe and Mail". After two years, he became the "Globe"'s Ottawa correspondent, a position he held for seven years. Atkinson then became managing editor of the "Montreal Herald" in 1897.

Toronto Star

In 1899, Atkinson was asked to become managing editor of the "Montreal Star", then the largest English-language newspaper in Canada. The paper's conservative viewpoint clashed with Atkinson's liberal beliefs, and while he was considering the offer, Atkinson was asked by a group of supporters of Wilfrid Laurier, the Liberal prime minister of Canada, if he would become publisher of the "Toronto Evening Star". The group included Senator George Cox, William Mulock, and Timothy Eaton. Mulock and most other members of the group wanted the paper to be the voice of the Liberal party, but Atkinson refused to take the job on those terms, insisting that he be given full control over newspaper policy that the "Star" be run in the best interests of the paper and not of the Liberal party. Atkinson travelled to Ottawa and successfully appealed to Laurier for support. [Ross Harkness, "J. E. Atkinson of the Star", University of Toronto Press, 1963, p. 23] Atkinson also insisted that 40 percent of his salary be paid in stock at par value and that he be given the opportunity to become majority owner. After some initial opposition, the ownership group accepted those terms.

The group took ownership of the paper on December 13, 1899. Shareholders formally approved the hiring of Atkinson five days later, with his employment backdated to start December 13. Atkinson's name first appeared in the masthead of the December 21 edition. His task was to save a failing newspaper, competing in a conservative city with six daily newspapers. Atkinson succeeded in turning the fortunes of the paper around and by 1913 it had the largest circulation of any Toronto newspaper. He continued to run the "Star" until his death in 1948 at the age of 82.

Further reading

*Cranston, J.H. (1953). "Ink on my fingers". Toronto: The Ryerson Press.
*Harkness, Ross (1963). "J. E. Atkinson of the Star". Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
*cite journal | author=Trista Vincent | title=Manufacturing Concern | journal=Ryerson Review of Journalism
year=1999 | volume= | issue=Spring | pages= – | url=http://www.rrj.ca/issue/1999/spring/293/

External links

* [http://www.atkinsonfoundation.ca/about/founder Profile from The Atkinson Charitable Foundation]
* [http://www.visiontv.ca/Programs/documentaries_fighting_words.html Vision TV documentary]

References

Persondata
NAME = Atkinson, Joseph E.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
SHORT DESCRIPTION = newspaper editor, social activist
DATE OF BIRTH = December 23, 1865
PLACE OF BIRTH = Newcastle, Ontario, Canada
DATE OF DEATH = May 7, 1948
PLACE OF DEATH =