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Line 1: − + − + − + − + − + − + − + − + − + − + − − − − − − Wilson Ewing<br> − + − + − + − + − + + + + − '''Robert Wilson Ewing, I''', also known as '''Colonel Ewing''' (September 27, 1859 – April 27, 1931), was a prominent [[newspaper]] [[publisher]] and a [[Democratic Party|Democratic]] political figure in primarily [[Louisiana]] during the last two decades of the 19th century and the first third of the 20th century.<ref name=dict/>+ + + + − + − + − ==Career==+ − In 1888, Ewing became affiliated with the reform, anti-machine faction of New Orleans municipal politics. He served in the administration of Mayor Joseph Ansoetegui Shakspeare (1837-1896) as an innovative city electrician and superintendent of the police telegraphy and fire-alarm systems. He also for a time as the New Orleans municipal tax collector. Under Henry Hearsey's tutelage, Ewing was also telegraph editor, circulation and business manager, and editor and proprietor of ''The Daily States,'' later the defunct ''States-Item.'' He was furthermore nationally prominent in the AP, having served two terms as vice president of the organization.<ref name=dict/> − In 1908, while still the publisher of the defunct ''Daily States,'' Ewing purchased the still operating ''Shreveport Times'' in [[Shreveport]] in northwestern Louisiana. In the latter 1920s, he bought the two newspapers in [[Monroe, Louisiana|Monroe]]: the defunct ''Morning World'' and the remaining ''[[Monroe News Star]],'' since switched to morning publication. He was hence among the two or three most influential persons in the Louisiana journalism community.<ref name=dict/>+ − + − Like the [[rice]] broker [[Colonel House|Edward Mandell House]] in [[Houston, Texas|Houston]], [[Texas]], Ewing claimed to have been particularly influential in securing the Democratic nomination in 1912 for then [[Governor]] [[Woodrow Wilson]] of [[New Jersey]], a part of the burgeoning progressive movement. Ewing was a Louisiana delegate to the Democratic convention that nominated Wilson on the 46th ballot. House and Wilson both wore the honorary title of "Colonel." Bryan was Wilson's secretary of state from 1913 to 1915, and House was Wilson's chief advisor from 1913 to 1919.)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/ewing.html|title=Ewing|publisher=The Political Graveyard|accessdate=October 31, 2019}}</ref>+ − After Wilson's election as president with a plurality of popular votes, Ewing was a powerful political figure in the state. He spoke for contradictory interests: (1) Wilson "New Freedom" expansion of government and (2) the conservative planters and machine politicians.<ref name=dict/>+ − In 1928, Ewing broke with the Regular Democrats of New Orleans to support [[Huey Long|Huey Pierce Long, Jr.]], for governor. His relationship with the Louisiana "Kingfish" was a stormy one. Ewing supported Long's [[impeachment]] by the [state House of Representatives. Long, however, was not convicted by the state Senate, finished his one term as governor, and was even elected to the [[United States Senate]]. Long accused Ewing of having attempted and failed to dictate Long's policies.<ref name=dict/>+ + − + − Ewing was twice married. In 1883, he wed the former May Dunbrack of [[Nova Scotia]], [[Canada]]. She died in 1904. In 1917, after thirteen years as a widower, Ewing wed the former Grace Nolan Mackay of [[Kansas City]], [[Missouri]]. He had five sons and one daughter: James Lindsay Ewing, II, John Dunbrack Ewing (1892-1952), Toulmin H. Ewing, Robert W. Ewing, II, Esther Ewing, and Wilson Ewing, named for Ewing's presidential favorite.<ref name=dict/> Wilson Ewing's son was Robert Wilson Ewing, III (1936–2007), a member of the ''Monroe News Star'' board of directors and a nature [[photographer]].+ − On Ewing's death, second son John D. Ewing became publisher of the Shreveport and Monroe newspapers and held those positions until his own death in 1952.<ref name=dict/>+ − − ==See also== − *[[Edmund Graves Brown]] − *[[Robert Ewing, III]] − ==Referencess==+ − {{reflist}}+ − + − − + − + + − [[Category:Newspapers]]
no edit summary
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name=Robert Wilson Ewing, I<br>
| name=Robert Wilson Ewing, I
(Editor and publisher in<br> New Orleans, Shreveport,<br> and Monroe, Louisiana)
(Louisiana newspaper publisher)
| birth_date=September 27, 1859
| birth_date=September 27, 1859
| birth_place=[[Mobile, Alabama|Mobile]], [[Alabama]], [[United States|USA]]
| birth_place =[[Mobile, Alabama|Mobile]], [[Alabama]], [[United States|USA]]
| death_place=[[New Orleans]], Louisiana
| death_place= [[New Orleans]], [[Louisiana]]
| death_date=April 27, 1931 (aged 71)
| death_date=April 27, 1931 (aged 71)
|nationality=[[United States|American]]
|nationality=[[United States|American]]
| spouse=(1) May Dunbrack (married 1883-1904, her death)<br>
| spouse = (1) May Dunbrack of [[Nova Scotia]] (married 1883-1904, her death); (2) Grace Nolan Mackay of [[Kansas City, Missouri]] (married 1917-1931, his death)<br>
(2) Grace Nolan Mackay (married 1917-1931, his death)<br>
'''Children'':<br>
'''Children''':<br>
Five sons and one daughter, James Lindsay Ewing, II, John Dunbrack Ewing (1892–1952), Toulmin H. Ewing, Robert W. Ewing, II, Esther Ewing<br>
James Lindsay Ewing, II<br>
John Dunbrack Ewing<br>(1892–1952)<br>
Toulmin H. Ewing<br>
Robert W. Ewing, II<br>
Esther Ewing<br>
'''Parents''':<br>
'''Parents''':<br>
James Lindsay and Martha Hunter Ewing
James Lindsay and Martha Hunter Lindsay
| party=[[Democratic Party|Democrat]]
| religion=
| footnotes='''Note''':<br>
| party= [[Democratic Party|Democrat]]
*Ewing was Louisiana's most politically connected [[newspaper]]man, allied with [[William Jennings Bryan]] and [[Woodrow Wilson]].
| footnotes ='''Note''':<br>
}}
* Ewing was Louisiana's most politically connected newspaperman, allied with [[Democratic Party|Democrats]] [[William Jennings Bryan]] and [[Woodrow Wilson]].
| alma mater=
}}
'''Robert Wilson Ewing, I''', also known as '''Colonel Ewing''' (September 27, 1859 – April 27, 1931), was a prominent [[newspaper]] [[journalist]], editor, and [[publisher]] and political figure, primarily in [[Louisiana]], in the last two decades of the 19th century and the first third of the 20th century.<ref name=dict>Dictionary of Louisiana Biography - E - Louisiana Historical Association (lahistory.org), accessed April 20, 2021.<ref>
Ewing was born in [[Mobile, Alabama|Mobile]], [[Alabama]], to James Lindsay Ewing, a [[cotton]] merchant, and the former Martha Hunter. At the age of thirteen, he was a messenger for the [[Western Union]] Telegraph Company. At seventeen, he was a [[telegraph]]er for the [[Associated Press]]. In 1879, he helped establish and managed the Mobile division of the Union Telegraph Company. After he joined a strike
of the Order of Telegraphers [[labor union|union]], Ewing was [[blacklisted]] in Mobile. He therefore relocated to [[New Orleans]], where he managed the former ''Morning Chronicle,'' a journal owned by the [[conservative]] [[Democratic Party|Democrat]] Henry J. Hearsey (1810-1900), who also published the ''New Orleans Daily States.''<ref name=dict/>
Jo
In 1888, Ewing became affiliated with the reform, anti-machine faction of city politics. He served in the administration of New Orleans [[Mayor]] Joseph Ansoategui Shakespeare (1837-1896)<ref>Administrations of the Mayor's of New Orleans: Shakspeare (nutrias.org), accessed April 20, 2021.</ref> as an innovative city [[electrician]] and superintendent of the police telegraphy and fire-alarm systems. He also served for a time as the New Orleans [[municipal]] tax collector. Under Hearsey's tutelage, Ewing was also telegraph editor, circulation and business manager, and editor and proprietor of the ''Daily States,'' later the defunct ''States-Item.'' He was furthermore nationally prominent in the AP, having served two terms as vice president of the organization.<ref name=dict/>
==Background==
In 1908, while still the publisher of the defunct ''Daily States,'' Ewing purchased the still operating ''Shreveport Times.'' In the latter 1920s, he bought the two newspapers in [[Monroe, Louisiana|Monroe]]: the defunct ''Morning World'' and the remaining ''[[Monroe News Star]],''<ref name=dict/> since switched to morning publication. He was hence among the two or three most influential persons in the Louisiana journalism community.
Ewing was born in [[Mobile, Alabama|Mobile]], [[Alabama]], to James Lindsay Ewing, a [[cotton]] merchant, and the former Martha Hunter. At the age of thirteen, he was a messenger for the Western Union Telegraph Company. At seventeen, he was a [[telegraph]]er for the [[Associated Press]]. In 1879, he helped establish and managed the Mobile division of the Union Telegraph Company. After he joined a strike of the Order of Telegraphers [[Organized labor|labor union]], Ewing was blacklisted in Mobile and therefore relocated to [[New Orleans]], where he managed the former ''Morning Chronicle,'' a journal owned by the [[conservative]] Henry J. Hearsey, who also published the former ''New Orleans Daily States.''<ref name=dict>{{cite web|url=https://www.lahistory.org/resources/dictionary-louisiana-biography/dictionary-louisiana-biography-e/|title=Ewing, Robert|publisher=''A Dictionary of Louisiana Biography'': Louisiana Historical Association|accessdate=October 31, 2019}}</ref><ref>''A Dictionary of Louisiana Biography'' bases its article on Robert on these source: Margaret Ann Martin. ''Colonel Robert W. Ewing: Louisiana Journalist and Politician,'' a 1964 master's thesis through [[Louisiana State University]]; T. Harry Williams, ''Huey Long'' (1969), and the John Ewing obituary, ''New Orleans Times-Picayune,'' April 28, 1931.</ref>
In 1898, Ewing was elected to the Louisiana Constitutional Convention held that year. He was backed by the New Orleans Regular Democrats. He thereafter worked to organize the Choctaw Club, which opponents claimed was a [[political machine]] that sought to dominate state politics until 1920. Ewing's political influence was such that he was the Louisiana Democratic national committeeman from 1908 to 1930. In 1908, Ewing was a manager of the third failed presidential campaign of former [[U.S. Representative]] [[William Jennings Bryan]] of [[Nebraska]].<ref name=dict/>
Like the [[rice]] broker [[Edward M. House]] in [[Houston, Texas|Houston]] [[Texas]], Ewing claimed to have been particularly influential in securing the Democratic nomination in 1912 for then [[Governor]] [[Woodrow Wilson]] of [[New Jersey]], a figure in the [[progressive movement]]. Ewing was a Louisiana delegate to the Democratic convention that nominated Wilson on the 46th ballot. Edward House and Wilson both wore the honorary title of "Colonel.'<ref name=dict/> Bryan was Wilson's secretary of state from 1913 to 1915, and House was Wilson's chief advisor from 1913 to 1919.
After Wilson's election as president with a plurality of popular votes over [[William Howard Taft]] and [[Theodore Roosevelt]], Ewing was a powerful political figure in the state. He spoke for contradictory interests: (1) the [[New Freedom]] political reforms and (2) the [[conservative]] planters and machine politicians.<ref name=dict/>
In 1898, Ewing was elected to the Louisiana Constitutional Convention held that year. He was backed by the New Orleans Regular Democrats. He thereafter worked to organize the Choctaw Club, which opponents claimed was a political machine that sought to dominate state politics until 1920. Ewing's political influence was such that he was the Louisiana Democratic national committeeman from 1908 to 1930. In 1908, Ewing was a manager of the third failed presidential campaign of former [[U.S. Representative]] [[William Jennings Bryan]] of [[Nebraska]].<ref name=dict/>
In 1928, Ewing broke with the Regular Democrats of New Orleans to support [[Huey Long|Huey Pierce Long, Jr.]], for governor. His relationship with the Louisiana "Kingfish" was a stormy one. Ewing supported Long's [[impeachment]] by the Louisiana of Representatives, with the anti-Long forces led by [[Cecil Morgan]] of [[Shreveport]]. Long, however, was not convicted by the state Senate and finished his one term as governor, even being elected to the [[United States Senate]] as well. Long accused Ewing of having attempted and failed to dictate Long's policies.<ref name=dict/>
Ewing was twice married. In 1883, he wed the former May Dunbrack of [[Nova Scotia]], [[Canada]]. She died in 1904. In 1917, after thirteen years as a widower, Ewing wed the former Grace Nolan Mackay of [[Kansas City]] [[Missouri]]. He had five sons and one daughter: James Lindsay Ewing, II, John Dunbrack Ewing (1892–1952), Toulmin H. Ewing, Robert W. Ewing, II, Esther Ewing, and Wilson Ewing, named for Ewing's presidential favorite. Wilson Ewing's son was [[Robert Ewing, III|Robert W. Ewing, III]] (1936–2007), a member of the ''Monroe News Star'' board of directors and a nature [[photographer]].<ref name=dict/>
On Ewing's death, second son John D. Ewing became publisher of the Shreveport and Monroe newspapers and held those positions until his own death.
==References==
{{reflist}}
==Family and death==
==Further reading==
*Margaret Martin, "Colonel Robert W. Ewing: Louisiana Journalist and Politician," (Master's thesis, 1964, [[Louisiana State University]] at [[Baton Rouge]]).
*T. Harry Williams, ''Huey Long'' (1969).
*''[[The New York Times]], '' "Col. Robert Ewing, Publisher, Dead," April 28, 1931.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ewing, I, Robert Wilson}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ewing, I, Robert}}
[[Category:Louisiana People]]
[[Category:Louisiana People]]
[[Category:Alabama]]
[[Category:Alabama]]
[[Category:Business People]]
[[Category:Business People]]
[[Category:Publishers]]
[[Category:Journalists]]
[[Category:Journalists]]
[[Category:Politicians]]
[[Category:Politicians]]
[[Category:Democrats]]
[[Category:Democrats]]