# Thomas M. Storke

Thomas More Storke (November 23, 1876 – October 12, 1971) was an American journalist, politician, postmaster, and publisher. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1962. Storke also served as an interim United States Senator, appointed to serve between the resignation of William Gibbs McAdoo in November 1938 and the January 1939 swearing-in of Sheridan Downey, who had been elected to succeed McAdoo.

## Early life and journalism career

Born in Santa Barbara, Storke was an only child who grew up bilingual in Spanish and English and was born to eminent local citizen and politician Charles A. Storke and Martha Storke. Through his mother he was descended from the Ortega and Olivera families. As a child he attended public schools and moved on to Stanford University one year early with a degree in economics. Storke graduated in 1898 at age 22.
In 1900, Storke borrowed $2,000 (equivalent to $70,000 in 2023) and bought the Santa Barbara Daily Independent, the least favored newspaper in town. In 1909 he sold the outlet to get into the oil business and purchased the Santa Barbara Daily News in 1913. The spring prior, he was appointed as the Santa Barbara postmaster. Storke readopted the Daily Independent and combined that with the Daily News to birth the Santa Barbara Daily News & Independent. Years later, Storke bought The Morning Press, Santa Barbara's third paper. He later combined the two to create The Santa Barbara News-Press. After 23 years, it was sold for nearly $10 million to the publisher of The Philadelphia Bulletin.

## Later life and political career

A Democrat in politics, Storke was appointed to the United States Senate by Republican California Governor Frank F. Merriam on November 9, 1938, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of William Gibbs McAdoo the day before. McAdoo had lost his bid for re-nomination, and he resigned his seat the day of the general election, won by Sheridan Downey, who had beaten McAdoo in the primary. Storke had not been a candidate for the seat, and served until the beginning of Downey's term on January 3, 1939. Storke flew to Washington and was sworn in by Edwin H. Halsey, the Secretary of the Senate. However, Congress was not in session during the time he was in office, so Storke never authored any legislation or cast a Senate vote.
He returned home and resumed working in the media, merging his newspaper the Santa Barbara News with the Morning Press to create the Santa Barbara News-Press. He also founded AM radio station KTMS. He was a member of the California Crime Commission from 1951–1952, and the Board of Regents of the University of California from 1955 until 1960.
In 1958 Storke wrote California Editor, a lengthy memoir rich in local Santa Barbara history.
The John Birch Society attacked the Eisenhower administration and U.S. Chief Justice Earl Warren as being communists in 1961. Storke responded with a caustic series of editorials in the News-Press which won him popular acclaim as well as a number of prizes. These included the Pulitzer Prize in Journalism, for Editorial Writing in 1962, the Elijah Parish Lovejoy Award, and an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Colby College.
Storke died of a stroke in 1971 at age 94, having had 10 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

## Contributions

Storke used his political clout to help obtain the present UCSB campus, over 900 coastal acres (3.6 km$^2$) and a former military installation, from the US Government under the college land grant program.
Part of Storke's lasting legacy is Storke Tower, a 190-foot structure in the center of the UCSB campus, being the tallest tower in the county as well as the only five-octave chromatic bell system.
Beneath Storke Tower is the Storke Communication Plaza, which houses the offices of the campus Daily Nexus newspaper and the studios of community radio station KCSB-FM.