William Rockhill Nelson Newspaperman 1841-1915

Missouri Valley Special Collections: Biography William Rockhill Nelson Newspaperman 1841-1915 By Susan Jezak Ford Called the “Colonel” by his admirers and “Baron” by his detractors, William Rockhill Nelson was an enormous man both physically and intellectually. In the 35 years after his 1880 arrival in Kansas City, Nelson’s influence touched nearly every part of life in Kansas City, from politics to the development of streets and neighborhoods. Nelson was born and raised in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and was generally an uncooperative student. His father sent him to Notre Dame University hoping the University would instill some discipline in him, but he left after one year. He pursued several occupations, including the practice of law, contracting public works projects, growing cotton, and managing The Sentinel, the Fort Wayne newspaper. It was in this last endeavour that he found his calling. Frustrated by Fort Wayne citizens’ lack of interest in his civic reform, however, Nelson and his partner Samuel Morss, sought another newspaper to buy, eventually selecting Kansas City. Nelson and Morss established The Kansas City Evening Star in 1880. Within a year, Morss retired and Nelson became the sole owner and editor. The newspaper’s offices were located at Fourth and Delaware streets and daily copies cost two cents each, a price well below those of its competitors. The Star focused primarily on local news in a time when newspapers traditionally carried stories from far away. The Star and its companion paper The Times eventually expanded to morning, evening, weekly, and Sunday versions. Kansas City in 1880 was a young, rough, western city, and The Star served as a tool for Nelson to pursue his passion for civic improvement. In the paper he argued for paved streets and improved sewers and sidewalks, an end to the monopoly in street railways, and better police and fire protection. He attacked greedy, corrupt politicians. Personally, Nelson was an independent and supported both Democrats and Republicans depending on whose views pleased (or displeased) him. He was an enthusiastic supporter and friend of Theodore Roosevelt and helped Roosevelt establish the Progressive Party in 1912 but later supported Woodrow Wilson. The Kansas City Public Library | 14 W. 10th St. | Kansas City, MO 64105 | 816.701.3427 | kchistory.org Missouri Valley Special Collections: Biography Nelson’s campaign for city parks contributed to the development of Kansas City’s system of parks and boulevards. His mark can still be seen in the picturesque stone walls and solid, shingled houses that he built in the neighborhood around his house Oak Hall. As a journalist, Nelson insisted on clear, concise writing. Although he wrote little himself, he attracted talented young reporters and editors and built The Star into one of the great American newspapers. He saw the newspaper as a means of providing a “liberal education” for people too busy or poor to acquire one, so his papers incorporated the writings of classical authors along with current news. He also established the Western Gallery of Art in the Kansas City Public Library to introduce copies of works by the European masters to the masses. When Nelson died in 1915, control of his newspapers passed to his daughter, Laura Nelson Kirkwood. Upon the death of her husband, in 1927, Oak Hall was razed and proceeds used in part to fund the collections of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. William Rockhill Nelson was a man of strong opinions and very human contradictions. There can be no question of the imprint he left on Kansas City. Sources Montgomery, Rick and Shirl Kasper. Kansas City: An American Story. Kansas City: Kansas City Star Books, 1999. Westcott, Timothy C. “Nelson, William Rockhill.” Dictionary of Missouri Biography. University of Missouri Press, 1999. “William R. Nelson is Dead.” The Kansas City Times, 13 April 1915. Wilson, William H. The City Beautiful Movement in Kansas City. Kansas City: Lowell Press, Inc., 1964. © 1999 The Kansas City Public Library | 14 W. 10th St. | Kansas City, MO 64105 | 816.701.3427 | kchistory.org.

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