Adolph Ochs

Adolph Simon Ochs (b. March 12, 1858–April 8, 1935) was an American newspaper publisher and former owner of "The New York Times" and "The Chattanooga Times" (now the Chattanooga Times Free Press).

Ochs was born to German-Jewish immigrants, Julius and Bertha Levy Ochs, in Cincinnati, Ohio. The family moved south to Knoxville, Tennessee due to his mother's sympathies during the Civil War. Julius sided with the Union during the war, but it didn't separate the household. Ochs began his newspaper career there at age 11, leaving grammar school to become a printer's assistant at the "Knoxville Chronicle". At the age of 19, he borrowed $250 to purchase a controlling interest in "The Chattanooga Times", becoming its publisher. In 1896, at the age of 36, he again borrowed money to purchase "The New York Times", a money-losing newspaper that had a wide range of competitors in New York City. In 1904, he hired Carr Van Anda as his managing editor. Their focus on objective news reporting, in a time when newspapers were openly and highly partisan, and a well-timed price decrease (from 3 cents per issue to 1 cent) led to its rescue from near oblivion. The paper's readership increased from 9,000 at the time of his purchase to 780,000 by the 1920s.

In 1884, Ochs married Effie Wise, the daughter of Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise of Cincinnati, who was the leading exponent of Reform Judaism in America and the founder of Hebrew Union College. His only daughter, Iphigene Bertha Ochs, married Arthur Hays Sulzberger, who became publisher of the "Times" after Adolph died. Her son-in-law Orvil Dryfoos was publisher from 1961–63, followed by her son Arthur Ochs "Punch" Sulzberger. Her daughter, Ruth Holmberg, became publisher of "The Chattanooga Times". Ochs' great-grandson Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr. has been publisher of "The New York Times" since 1992.

In 1904, Ochs moved the "Times" to a newly-built building on Longacre Square in Manhattan, which the City of New York then renamed as Times Square. On New Year's Eve 1904, Ochs had pyrotechnists illuminate his new building at One Times Square with a fireworks show from street level.

One of his nephews, Julius Ochs Adler, worked at the "Times" for more than 40 years, becoming general manager in 1935, after Ochs died. Another, John Bertram Oakes, the son of his brother George Washington Ochs Oakes, became editorial page editor of the "Times"' editorial page in 1961, which he edited until 1976.

Efforts against Anti-Semitism

Ochs was active in the early years of the Anti-Defamation League, serving as an executive board member, and using his influence as publisher of the New York Times to convince other newspapers nationwide to cease the unjustified caricaturing and lampooning of Jews in the American press.

References

*"The Trust: The Private and Powerful Family behind The New York Times", Susan E. Tifft and Alex S. Jones, Little, Brown and Company, 1999.
*"History of the ADL: http://www.adl.org/ADLHistory/1913_1920.asp

External links

* [http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/0312.html Obituary, NY Times, April 9, 1935, "Adolph S. Ochs Dead at 77; Publisher of Times Since 1896"]
* [http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/ochs.html Jewish Virtual Library - Adolph Ochs]
* [http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/imagegallery.php?EntryID=O008 Tennessee Encyclopedia article]
* [http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2054 Article in FAIR by John L. Hess assessing career]