Fitzpatrick, J.F. (John Francis), 1887-1960
Biographical History
J.F. (John Francis) Fitzpatrick was born January 18, 1887 in Pottsville, Pennsylvania to James Henry and Mary Goulden Fitzpatrick. His father was a railroad engineer who was blacklisted after participating in a strike. The family then moved to Burlington, Iowa where Fitzpatrick graduated from Burlington High School and went to work for the railroad industry. Fitzpatrick had lived in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1910 for a short time as an employee of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad. The following year, Fitzpatrick moved to Chicago, Illinois to work for the Pere Marquette Railroad. While working as a railroad clerk, Thomas Kearns, a former Utah senator, hired Fitzpatrick to be his personal secretary in 1913. Fitzpatrick became based in Salt Lake City, Utah after that. He married Eleanor F. Crawford in 1914. Thomas Kearns had purchased The Salt Lake Tribune in 1901. After his death in 1918, Fitzpatrick worked closely with those dealing with the publication of the newspaper, officially becoming the publisher of it in 1924. In this position, he began the Newspaper Agency Corporation (NAC) in 1952, which allowed The Salt Lake Tribune and Deseret News to have a joint operating agreement that allowed for the two newspapers to combine the advertising and printing business of the two papers. Fitzpatrick received an honorary doctor of public service degree from Brigham Young University in 1956. During Fitzpatrick’s tenure as The Salt Lake Tribune's publisher, the paper was awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 1957 for coverage of an airline collision over the Grand Canyon. Along with his duties as a publisher, Fitzpatrick was also the director of various mining and railroad companies, president of newspaper associations, and was considered to be an important civic leader for his community. He died on September 11, 1960 of a heart attack in his home.
Citation:
Wikipedia, via WWW, March 26, 2021 (J.F. (John Francis) Fitzpatrick was born January 18, 1887 in Pottsville, Pennsylvania; His father was a railroad engineer who was blacklisted after participating in a strike. The family then moved to Burlington, Iowa where Fitzpatrick graduated from Burlington High School and went to work for the railroad industry. Fitzpatrick had lived in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1910 for a short time as an employee of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad; Fitzpatrick moved to Chicago, Illinois to work for the Pere Marquette Railroad; while working as a railroad clerk, Thomas Kearns, a former Utah senator, hired Fitzpatrick to be his personal secretary in 1913. Fitzpatrick became based in Salt Lake City, Utah after that. He married Eleanor F. Crawford in 1914. Thomas Kearns had purchased The Salt Lake Tribune in 1901. After his death in 1918, Fitzpatrick worked closely with those dealing with the publication of the newspaper, officially becoming the publisher of it in 1924. Began the Newspaper Agency Corporation (NAC) in 1952, which allowed The Salt Lake Tribune and Deseret News to have a joint operating agreement that allowed for the two newspapers to combine the advertising and printing business of the two papers. During Fitzpatrick’s tenure as The Salt Lake Tribune's publisher, the paper was awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 1957 for coverage of an airline collision over the Grand Canyon. Along with his duties as a publisher, Fitzpatrick was also the director of various mining and railroad companies, president of newspaper associations, and was considered to be an important civic leader for his community. He died on September 11, 1960, of a heart attack in his home)Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the 87th Congress First Session, Volume 107 Part 1, via WWW, March 31, 2021 (Born to James Henry and Mary Goulden Fitzpatrick; Fitzpatrick received an honorary doctor of public service degree from Brigham Young University in 1956)