Someone You Should Have Known:Colonel Robert R. McCormickby Lisa Mizock

I. n a town where news is king,you might say Tribune Company isa news kingdom, thanks to ColonelRobert R. McCormick.

Colonel Robert RutherfordMcCormick, born July 30, 1880, wasthe grandson of Chicago Tribunefounder Joseph Medill. As editorand publisher of the ChicagoTribune from 1912 until hisdeath in 1955, he was anautocrat, running the paper withan iron fist.

His towering six-foot, four-inch frame, with his oftenexpressionless face and vacantgaze, made him appearomnipotent to his employees.They accepted his autocracycompletely -he knew hisbusiness.

"He was his own best story,"said Richard Pendergast,McCormick's pilot during theColonel's last two years. "Hehad an excellent news senseand really played a story out."

"He was definitely anautocrat," said Dick Orr, farmeditor, who began at theChicago Tribune in 1949. "Topeditors worked directly underhim and made it their businessto find out what he wanted andthey followed it to the letter."

McCormick was born inChicago, educated abroad in hisearly schooling, graduated fromYale University, and earned alaw degree from NorthwesternUniversity. A newspaper careerwas never considered, as hisearly career choices clearlyindicate.

After graduating fromNorthwestern, he joined the lawfirm of what was formerly Kirklandand Ellis. His chosen field was

politics. At 24, he was electedalderman of the 21st ward and thenpresident of the Sanitary District.

Considered honest and open-minded in a city that was corruptand known for awarding contractsbased on contributions, the Colonelhired auditors and signed contractsbased on merit.

After five years with the SanitaryDistrict, his political aspirationsended when his uncle, president ofthe paper, Robert Patterson, diedsuddenly in 1910.

The shareholders were tempted

to sell their stocks to the publisherof the Chicago Daily News, andMcCormick was called in to stopthem. Having spent quite a bit oftime with his grandfather, JosephMedill, he could not easily turn hisback on the Chicago Tribune.

In a letter to his mother he wrote,"the Tribune has always been much

more to me than either anewspaper or a source ofrevenue. I talked them outof it on the grounds that Ishould go into thebusiness."

With his cousin, JosephPatterson, McCormickjoined the ChicagoTribune, beginning acareer that would endureand flourish throughouthis lifetime. His new titlewas president and chiefexecutive officer, and Joebecame chairman ofTribune Company. Thenews kingdom wasbeginning to grow.

The newspaper industryat this time was fiercelycompetitive. The Record-Herald and the HearstExaminer were waging aprice war with the ChicagoTribune. They lowered thecost of their papers fromtwo cents to one cent. TheColonel had an idea: if theTribune could purchase itsown paper mill, it couldcut costs and come out ontop.

In 1912, a little over ayear after McCormick was electedpresident, the directors authorizedconstruction of a mill in Thorold,Canada. The location was ideal,right near Niagra Falls. It had ampleelectrical power, rail facilities and

was conveniently located next tothe pulp forests. As a result of hisdecision to control the productionof newsprint, we now own twopaper mills and have lumber rightsto over 5,000,000 acres oftimberlands in Canada.

A true patriot and veteran ofWorld War I, McCormick became aColonel in his pursuit of a story.He had an opportunity to cover theRussian front at the onset of WorldWar I, since his father was the U.S.ambassador to Russia.

His mother induced the Russianambassador to the U.S. to have himinvited to inspect the Russian armyas a distinguished personal guest ofCzar Nicholas, commander-in-chief.However, this arrangement couldonly be made if McCormickpossessed the rank of colonel,because reporters were not allowednear the front.

He obtained a commission ofColonel of the cavalry in the IllinoisNational Guard from the governor.He retained the title of Colonel,even after he was promoted toLieutenant Colonel, after serving onthe front lines in World War I.

On the Tribune's 75th birthday in1922, it was Colonel McCormickwho decided to run a $100,000,world-wide competition for the bestdrawing of an office building. Thecontest looked for "the mostbeautiful building in the world, anda model for a generation ofnewspaper publishers," accordingto the Colonel.

Two hundred and fifty-fourentries were received from 23countries. The Tribune Tower,designed by a New York architect,Raymond Hood, was the winningentry, and was completed under hisdirection in 1924.

Tribune Company's newskingdom now had its castle andgrew even greater that same year,when the Colonel purchased aradio station located in a handballcourt on the top floor of the DrakeHotel. McCormick renamed the

radio station WON, for World'sGreatest Newspaper, which was theChicago Tribune's slogan until thelate 1970s. Later, he moved theradio station to Tribune Tower andincreased its power from 10,000watts to 50,000 watts.

With the death of Joe in 1946, theColonel became chairman of theboard and vice-president of theNews-Syndicate Co., the TribuneCompany subsidiary which controlsthe New York News. He was alsoelected chairman of the board andvice-president of the ChicagoTribune-New York News Syndicate,Inc., which sells comics and featuresto newspapers all over the world.

Even with such extensiveauthority, the Colonel kept on top

'' Changes mustcontinue. A dead handcannot run theChicago Tribune. JJ

of every aspect of the business.According to Dick Orr, he was verydetailed and involved in everythingfrom farming to foreign affairs.

Dick remembered an incidentwhen the Colonel was in London atthe start of World War II, before theUnited States was actually involved.

"He would call here from Englandto find out the news since the Britishpapers were censored," explainedDick. "Once, he called city deskand asked where the British fleetwas. The city editor told him hedidn't know anything about it. Anhour later McCormick called backand said, 'do you want to knowwhere the British fleet is? At thebottom of the sea, by God!'"

Although he often appearedaloof, the Colonel was sensitive tohis employees' needs and had a softspot for veterans.

When the United States enteredWorld War II, Roy Cone, anengineer at WGN since 1943,remembered the Colonel sobbing atthe news.

"I'll never forget him coming intothe control room sobbing, 'what arewe doing for the men who arefighting for our country andfreedom on foreign shores?'

"He announced that everyonewho went off to war would still gettheir salaries while they were goneand any family that had problemswould be taken care of by theTribune."

Bob Paustian, plateroomsupervisor, also saw his sensitiveside, although not directly. As Bobrecalled, "I was an apprenticeearning 20 dollars a week and I wascashing my check at the cashier'swindow. The Colonel was rightbehind me and asked if I gotenough. I told him no. When heasked me why, I explained that myexpenses were 28 dollars a week.Two weeks later an announcementcame out that no one would workfor less than 50 dollars a week."

The Colonel always had one footin the future and innovative changescame quickly at the ChicagoTribune. His basic philosophy,which still holds true today, was"get every possible engineeringadvantage over your competitors."The Colonel himself was a greatcontributor, having patented a unitand press folder design that manyother newspapers eventuallyadopted.

He was a strong supporter ofchange and implemented manywhile he was in control. Shortlybefore his death, he was asked howlong he thought the ChicagoTribune would survive unchanged.He guessed about 15 years."Changes must continue," he said."A dead hand cannot run theChicago Tribune."

Austere, aloof, eccentric, all thesewords have been used to describeColonel Robert R. McCormick. Butno one can deny that in a townwhere news is king and changecomes quickly, his vision continuesto contribute to Tribune Company'slong reign.