Los Angeles herald., 1907-03-28
JOURNEY OF LIFE
COMES TO AN END
COL. JOSEPH D. LYNCH is NO
MORE
Pioneer Newspaper Publisher of
Southern California and Founder
of the Los Angeles Herald
Dies in This City

With but one friend by his side Col
Joseph D. Lynch, founder of the Los
Angeles Herald. yesterday passed into
the beyond at the Sisters hospital.
Bright's disease, together with a
complication of pneumonia, brought
the pioneer journalist to his deathbed.
His demise occurred at 4:30 o'clock
yesterday afternoon.
Col. Lynch's siXty-four years of life
were eventful and almost romantic.
Sprung from an old Irish line which
had emigrated to this country after
the American revolution the boy was
early prepared for the life of a priest.
But the bustling business life of Pitts
burg, near which city the family lived,
had more charms for him than the
confessors robe, and he left the pre-
paratory school to enter mercantile
life.
Soon this palled and the plucky lad
forced his way to New York city,
where, without previous training, he
secured a position on one of the local
papers.
From that time on his rise was rapid
The life of pencil and pad was the
one for whihc he was destined, and in
the columns of a great New York
daily he hewed his way to public at
tention and notice.
comes ACROSS the continent
His brilliant work in the newspaper
| line attracted the attention of Thomas
| Scott, a Pittsburg railroad magnate,
who had aspirations of building
| transcontinental line. He took Lynch,
who was at that time 20 years of age,
| from his New York paper and sent
the young man across the continent,
establishing him as editor of the San
Diego World.
The newspaper mans work in the
little Southern California town was
more meteoric and sensational than
We're his eastern efforts. Stories that
attracted the attention of the whole
country to California emanated from
the resourceful brain of the young
editor.
When his patrons transcontinental
railroad scheme failed to materialize,
and 1t seemed as if San Diego would
again become a nonentity, Mr.. Lynch
came to Los Angeles.
| Associating himself with a group of
other business men he formed a stock
company and established the Los An
| geles Herald. AS it's editor he became
personally acquainted with almost all
the leading statesmen and citizens of
the state.
Under his able and aggressive edi-
torial management The Herald rose to
| IL pOSlllOIi VI POW0lg llOl Olily Ill lu6
west, but throughout the entire coun-
try. Being actively identified with the
Democratic party Col. Lynch made The
Herald the leading party organ of Cal
ifornia and much of it's successes was
due to his influence.
He early began the promotion and
publicity work through The Herald
which helped to convert Los Angeles
from pueblo town to the present great
city, and during the many years of
his conduct of this paper he devoted
it's columns steadfastly to the devel-
opment of this city and of all Southern
California.
He was a writer of exceptional
strength and merit, and his editorial
the equal of anything done by the
great journalists Of history.
During CleVeland's campaign i'm 1892
q syndicate OF Democrats bought the
paper and Mr.. Lynch retired from it's
head. Since then he made several ef-
forts to start papers, but without sue
cess.
. The money received as his share of
the proceeds from the sale of The
S Herald was lost through various mis-
! fortunes.
! Since then disasters crowded fast on
the old man. Four years ago gan
q creme attacked one of his feet and the
! member was cut off, His health had
! been poor ever since
I His Last illness
The kidney trouble which caused the
4 veteran journalists death was OF sew
e eral years standing. 1t was only
about two weeks ago. however that
II became serious AT that time he
p was taken TO the Sisters hospital
where he remained until the last. The
two weeks were full OF alternate hops
. and despair for his life. AT times il
seemed as II his health was on tbs
1 ascendancy and then again a relaps,
D would set Ia which would put him bacl
farther than before. Sunday night 4