Gazette Communications history

From 1889, all three Gazettes were published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office.

The Gazette enjoyed praise from its peers and subscribers, but struggled financially until 1891, when its sister publication the Fort Worth Weekly Gazette was suspended.

In 1897 another newspaper was launched, The Lima News.

After James Mitchell died in 1902, the ownership of the Democrat changed hands three times.

By 1907, the Gazette Publishing Company incorporated under editor Enoch Grehan.

In 1908 a man named Galvin acquired a 1/8 interest in the Lima News and would later control the newspaper.

When Davis died suddenly in 1913, Heiskell, in a sweet bit of irony, was appointed by Gov.

Another Lima newspaper, the Star bought the Republican Gazette in 1926, discontinued its publication and moved into its building on East High directly across from the Lima News.

In 1929 the Republican Gazette/Star sold the paper to the Galvins.

In 1930, the Galvins/Lima News began to use the Gazette for commercial printing and was officially named The News-Gazette.

A page from the Lima News (1931) just after Galvin and the Lima News bought the Republican Gazette, thus creating the News-Gazette for commercial printing.

Hugh B. Patterson, J.N. Heiskell's son-in-law, who had been the Gazette's business manager, became publisher in 1948.

The News-Gazette operated this way until 1956 when 6 employees of the News-Gazette purchased the company from the Galvins.

Long before 1957, a highlight of Heiskell's career had been his sustained opposition to Jeff Davis, a turn-of-the-century Arkansas governor and United States senator.

2. The west side of the current NGP building on Market Street (1958 - before it was NGP), the Timmerman Ford lot.

In the first quarter of 1960, the Democrat's daily circulation was 88,890, narrowly ahead of the Gazette's 88,152.

It happened in the winter of 1971 in an odd way.

Robert R. Douglas, Gazette managing editor since 1972, announced his resignation in July and was named chairman of the department of journalism at the University of Arkansas.

In 1974 Marcus George and C.S. Berry sold the newspaper for $3.7 million to the Palmer group, headed by Walter E. Hussman.

In 1977 Cloren Mills, then President of the News-Gazette Printing Company, and his 2 sons Dave and Dan purchased the stock from the 2 remaining partners of the original 6.

Under his leadership the substance of the Gazette didn’t change significantly from what it had been, and during my one visit to the Boulder offices in 1978 Gaylord orchestrated a great eating/drinking soiree at a restaurant that included Barry Corbet.

In 1979, the Democrat switched to all-morning publication -- one of the first newspapers of its size to do so.

Circulation totals showed that the Democrat was the fastest growing newspaper in the United States during 1980.

Across town at the Arkansas Gazette, 1981 saw big changes too.

First, the Gazette filed a federal antitrust suit against the Democrat in 1984.

In 1985 Cloren's older son Dave sold his interest and left the company to assume a position with a growing metal coating company based in Lima.

Second, the Gannett Corp., the nation's largest newspaper chain, bought the Gazette in 1986.

On June 23, 1992, less than a year after the long newspaper war ended, John Robert Starr retired as managing editor of the Democrat-Gazette and Griffin Smith, jr., was named executive editor.

Self published; First edition. (January 1, 1997)