The History of the LA Times& the family that built it

Major General Harrison Gray Otis

Born Feb. 10, 1837 on a farm near Marietta, Ohio

Youngest of 16 siblings, worked on the farm, little schooling

At 14 Harrison becomes a printer’s apprentice for the Noble County Courier in Ohio

By 23 was a member of the 1960 Republican National Convention that nominated Abe Lincoln

When the Civil War broke out, Otis enlisted at a private in the Union army.

Fought in 15 battles, wounded twice cited for gallantry

Discharged as a Lieutenant Colonel, eventually had people refer to him as “General” after Philippines

worked several jobs including editor of the Grand Army Journal before coming to California.

1876: Otis comes to Santa Barbara and works as editor of the Santa Barbara Press

1882: Otis scrapes together $6,000 & buys a quarter interest in the Los Angeles Daily Times (1st four page issue had run Dec. 4, 1881)

Became editor of the Times and editor of weekly sister publication the Mirror

Wrote many of the editorials and article for the paper for a salary of $15/week

Wife Eliza, who he married in 1859, contributed columns about women, religion and morals

1883: Otis and H.H. Boyce become co-owners of the Times, which has now grown to 8 pages, and create the Times Mirror Company

Otis wanted to change the paper: dropped “daily”, ordered livelier headlines, added political points, columns and letters to the editor

Boyce eventually leaves and starts rival paper the Tribune

1886: Otis buys out Boyce’s shares and makes himself president, GM & EIC

LA population in the 1880’s

1882: LA is small dusty town; pop. 5,000

1883: Southern Pacific Railroad comes to California with the “Sunset Route” New Orleans to California with a spur in LA

1884: pop. increases to 12,000

1886: pop. increases to 100,000; the Southern Pacific, Topeka and Santa Fe Rail Roads compete in a fare war

Harry ChandlerCame to California from New Hampshire.

Dropped out of Dartmouth at 17 after contacting pneumonia when he jumped into an ice covered starch vat on a dare; doctors told him to move to CA to recuperate in the sunshine

Started selling oranges in the San Fernando Valley, earned $19/day

Eventually bought up circulation list for the Times, morning Tribune and afternoon Herald

1885: circulation dept. clerk, promoted to circulation manager

1894: marries Otis’ daughter Marian

Went on to become V.P. and G.M. of Times before taking over as publisher

Chandler eventually helps Otis put Boyce out of business, within 2 years is able to buy up printing equipment for 5 cents on the dollar

Power of the Times1897: formation of the Los Angeles Merchants and Manufacturers Association to keep organized labor out of LA

1890’s: struggle over federal funds to build a breakwater in San Pedro

Southern Pacific R.R. wanted a new harbor in Santa Monica because they had waterfront interests

Times vigorously supported San Pedro, it backing was instrumental to S.P. Harbor being built, making LA a major west coast port, now the busiest in the U.S.

LA and the aqueduct 1902: Land Reclamation Act passed. Leads to the damming of nearly every major western river. Bureau of Land Management formed by executive branch

J.B. Lippincott named Bureau’s supervising engineer for California, friends with Chandler

1903: Lippincott and J.C. Clausen begin surveying Owen Valley water

Fred Eaton & William Mulholland begin looking at the Owens Valley

Clausen believed they would use the spill from the Owens River to irrigate the surrounding land

Local farmers began relinquishing their water rights

Lippincott appraches Chandler with idea of aqueduct for LA

1903: Chandler begins buying cheap property in the S.F. Valley

Otis, Chandler, Van Nuys, Mulholland, Sherman, Huntington, Lankershim, Whitely. San Fernando Mission Land Co. formed and started buying very cheap land in the S.F. Valley

Made a deal that no one would break the story first

July 28, 1905: Times breaks the story that LA will be getting water; land Chandler has bought for about $3 million is now valued at over $120 million

The aqueduct ran over 225 miles and was built under the supervision of Mulholland, first water delivered in 1913

1917: July 30, Otis dies at age 80

1944: Harry dies with an estimated worth of $500 million

July 3, 1907 Otis accused of taking bribes from Patrick Calhoun a railroad magnate.

LA Times bombed1910: Oct.1 LA Times building is bombed leaving 20 killed and 21 injured

Brothers J.J. & J.B. McNamara are arrested for the bombing, defended by lawyer Clarence Darrow

Brothers are part of the Iron Workers Unions, one of the few strong unions in LA

The bomb went off at 1:07 a.m. in the alley outside the Times. It was meant to go off at 4 a.m. when the building would have been empty.

Damage was more than brothers thought due to natural gas main lines under the building

Bomb collapsed the side of the building, the ensuing fire destroyed the building a the one next to the Times which housed its printing press

Times called the bombing the “crime of the century”

J.B. received life in prison, J.J. received 15 years

Norman ChandlerEldest of 8 children

Married to Dorothy Buffum

Took over as publisher in 1941

Cut employees by 10%

created 1st personnel dept. in any newspaper

Hire the best people at wages equal to or higher than current union wages; mandate stayed for 50 years

Provided medical insurance, pension plan & specialty emergency employee fund

1964: takes the Times/Mirror Co. public

Cold War needs bring aircraft industry to LA

1973: announced Times Mirror Co. was the largest publicly held publisher in the country

1973: dies of throat cancer, his ashes are released in Dana Point Harbor

Dorothy Buffum ChandlerHad 2 children: Camilla (1925) & Otis (1927)

Harry Chandler adored her, nicknamed her “Buff”

Norman’s brothers and sister thought she wasn’t good enough

Wanted to change the Times to a modern national paper

Created Los Angeles’ Music Center

Raised $19 million to preserve the Hollywood Bowl

"I was ahead of my time. I did what I did on my own with no help from anybody."

Otis ChandlerGraduated from Stanford

Olympic athlete who loved to surf, hunt and lift weights

Given a seven year plan by his parents to work up to publisher of the Times

Spent time in the Air Force during the Korean War

Becomes editor of the times. Takes it from being biased paper. Demands “uncommon excellence” from his journalists

At 52, Otis turns the paper over to first non-family publisher Tom Johnson. Paper had been family run for almost century. Johnson only 5th publisher

March 2000 paper is sold to Chicago Tribune Company for $8.3 million

2006: Feb. 27, Otis Chandler dies at age 78

"My parents never forced me to be the best at whatever I do. That somehow came from within me."