Evening star., 1925-08-20
Pioneer Newspaper Man
Long Hl-Overwork
fastened End.
Owned Chicago Daily
News--Helped Found
Associated Press.

cago Daily News died last night at his
home on Lake Shore Drive after an
illness of only three days of a heart
ailment from which he had suffered
frequently in recent years.
Foremost among the eXponents of
untainted news, one of the founders
of the Associated Press. and owner of
one of the greatest newspaper sue
cesses on the continent, his death
marked the passing of premier news
paper figure of the last century.
The same indomitable will and cour-
age that marked his efforts In build
ing great metropolitan daily and in
fighting through the years for clean,
unbiased news pages, sustained the
75-year-old publisher In the last hours.
He died peacefully after fighting gal
lantly to within a few hours of the
end with the same fortitude that had
enabled him to fight off i'll health for
years in order to go daily to the down
town office of his paper.
Hurt by OverworIk.
Mr. Lawson became seriously Ill
only three days ago, although he had
not been in robust health for years.
It was n recurrence of myocarditis,
the heart ailment from which he had
suffered frequent attacks for years.
His associates said that overwork had
contributed to his condition.
Given strict orders by his physi-
clans to remain in bed, the man who
for nearly half a century had direct
ed the desttnies of a great journal
and kept in closest touch with Its
every activity was unable to stand the
enforced inactivity.
Against the advice of doctors, he
insisted on getting out of bed Tues
day and sat up for time. Yesterday
morning he had a relapse, and for
time it was feared death was immi-
nent, but he rallied, and later in the
day appeared much better. 1t was
not until late last evening that ne
suffered a sinking spell, from which
he never rallied, and he died peace
fully at 9 o'clock, surrounded by a
few of the lifetime associates of his
newspaper and his niece, Mrs. clark
NJ. Cavanee of Chicago.
Besides his niece, only four other
near relatives survive, brother. lver
of San Diego, Calf. and a brother
in-law, William Harrison Bradley,
and two other nieces, all OF Ridge
field, Conn. MI. Lawsons wife died
in 1914. They had no children.
Mr.. Lawson's funeral will be held
here at II am. Monday.
The services will be held in the
New EnSldlu NSiidL "a,
where he had served as president of
the board Of trustees and to which
he had been a liberal contributor for
many years.
There will be no services at the
home and the funeral will be very
simple in respect to Mr.. Lawson's S
known wishes. Rev. John r. Hey
worth, pastor of the New England
Congregational Church, is on his va
Oi1a
and the minister to conduct the serv-
ice has not been named.
Only close friends and relatives will
witness the burial, which will be in
a cemetery not named.
Sponsored Penny Paper.
Mr.. Lawson, the son of news
paper man, was one of the first ad-
vocates of a low priced newspaper,
and wealth. The Chicago Daily News
was the first Western paper to make
a success as a penny sheet.
He next gained distinction as one
of the most vigorous advocates of CO.
operative news gathering and as one
of the founders of the Associated
Press, based on this principle. From
1894 to 1900 he was president Of the
Associated Press, when 1t was tncor-
porated under the laws of Illinois.
From 1900 he had been a member of
the board Of directors of the pres
ent organization.
Mr.. Lawson was native Chica-
goan, born here September 9, 1850,
the son of Iver and Melting Lawson.
He was educated at Phillips Academy,
Andover, Mass, and returned to Chi
cago to learn the rudiments of the
newspaper business under his father,
who established the Scandinavian.
Upon the death of the father Mr..
Lawson assumed charge of the pub
fishing business. He was thus en-
gagged when he met Melville E. Stone,
later associated with Mr.. Lawson in
the publication of the News and
afterward general manager and now
counselor Of the Associated Press.
Mr.. Stone established the Chicago
Daily News, rented quarters in the
Scandinavian office to get out his pa
per, and published the first issue
Christmas day, 1875. Shortly after Mr..
Stones two partners sold out to him,
and in July, 1876, Mr.. Stone in turn
sold his interest to Mr.. Lawson, who
took charge Of the paper, with Mr..
Stone as editor.
To preserve the independence Of the
paper each man agreed to buy no Sc
va l'St
from his share of the profits. They
succeeded and in 1881 started a morn
ing edition and seven years later Mr..
Lawson purchased Mr.. Stones inter
est and became sole proprietor.
Sacrifice for Principle.
T Soon afterward he changed the name
Of his morning publication to the Chi
cago Record, later merging 1t with
the Times Herald, when he called 1t
the Record Herald. Because he did
not wish to be connected with pa
per publishing on Sunday, he turned
over the property Of the Record Her
aid to bondholders in 1914, making
them a present of the capital stock of
a par value of s2,30O,000.
One of the principles to which Mr..
Lawson always attributed the success
Of the News was it's wealth Of fea-
lures, particularly those of interest to
woman readers, including short stories
anecdotes, table recipes, fashions and
small talk.
In politics his newspaper prided it.
self on it's independence. Aside from
his newspaper career, Mr.. Lawson
was intensely interested in a great
many public and civic enterprises,
many of them Of a philanthropic
character, and to these causes the in.
fiuence of his newspaper was frequent.
ly thrown.
Gave to Charity.
Mr.. Lawson was one of the first ad-
vocates of postal savings banks. He
gave freely to charity, but the extent
of his contributions probably will
never be known, for he insisted that
his aid never become known. His
philanthropies to the afflicted were
particularly heavy, and sociologists
have asserted that his help has saved
thousands of lives in Chicago.
Immediately following the war