The Washington times., 1933-06-07
HEART DISEASE
KILLS FAMOUS
MILLIONAIRE
Funeral Services to Be Held
Friday at PhiIanthropist's
Home in PhiIadeIp phia

P IL A D E L P H A, June 7
uN.S).-Cyrus H. K. Curtis,
publisher and philanthropist, died
early today at his home Lyndon"
in Wyncote. He was 80. He had
been i'll more than a year with
heart disease and suffered a
relapse on Friday.
Starting life as poor boy in
Portland, Maine, Curtis rose to
a place among the worlds fore
most publishers. He was head of
the Curtis Publishing Company,
which publishes the Saturday
Evening Post, the Ladies Home
Journal, and the Country Gentle
man.
Also Owned Papers
He also was head of the Curtis
Martin Newspapers, Inc, pub
fishers of the Morning and Even
ing Ledger and the Inquirer, in
this city, and the Evening Post,
New York.
At his bedside when the end
came were Mrs. Mary Louise
Curtis Box, his only child; Mrs.
John C. Martin, of this city, and
Mrs. Pearson Wells. of Detroit,
step-daughters; John C. Martin,
and Curtis personal physicians,
DR.. Martin E. RehfusS, OF this
city, and DR.. Freeman Brown, OF
Rockland. Maine.
Funeral services will be held
Friday afternoon at the home.
Wife Died Last Year
The mems singing club of Port
land, Me-, will attend in a body.
Curtis was stricken in May OF
last year as he was cruising near
New York on his palatial yacht
Lyndonia.
He was brought aboard the ship
to this city and transferred to
jefferson Hospital. Five days later
his wife, who had taken an ad-
joining room to be near him, died
in her sleep of a heart ailment
with which she had been addicted
for years. She was his second
wife and a second cousin.
Curtis first business venture
was typical of his career. He
had asked his mother for money
to buy fireworks and she sug-
gested he earn it. His capital
was three cents. The boy pur-
chased six newspapers, doubled
his capital, and bought IL papers
the following day, pyramiding
his returns until he had built up
a profitable route.
When older boys drove him
away, Curtis took his papers to
Port Preble, an Army post near
Portland, where other neWsboys
said there was no sale of papers.
The soldiers proved good GUS
toners and the boy built up a
route which neted him 81 week.
Wiped Out BY Fire
Curtis wanted to own news
paper of his own, so he and
another boy started publication
of "Young America" weekly.
His partner withdrew after the
first issue, but Curtis published
the paper alone, and it prospered.
In 1865 a fire destroyed the
plant, and Curtis saw his entire
fortune vanish.
He moved to Boston and OBJ
tanned a job as an errand boy
for SO a week. During his lunch
hour he sold advertising space
for newspaper.
Saving a few dollars from his
wages, Curtis amassed enough to
publish the Peoples Ledger, a
magazine. The Boston fire OF
1872 wrecked his venture, but
Curtis continued publication until
1876. Then, a man of 26, he
was attracted to Philadelphia by
the Centennial Exposition.
While in Philadelphia Curtis
continued to hold an interest in
the Peoples Ledger. He directed
its activities and solicited adver-
tising for the weekly here, finally
accumulating sufficient money to
purchase, with Hamilton Mayo as
partner, the Tribune and
Farmer. a weekly magazine in
Phlladelphla.
Helped By His Wife
A year earlier he had married
Miss Louise Knapp, of Boston,
and she helped him publish the
magazine, editing a department
for women. SO successful was
this department that Curtis used
it as the foundation for the
Ladies Home Journal, which he
established with his wife as
editor.
The Ladies Home Journal grew
so rapidly that Mrs. Curtis re-
linquished the editorship.
The success of the Ladies Home
Journal impelled Curtis to publish
a similar magazine for men. In
1897 he purchased the Saturday
Evening Post, which had been
founded by Benjamin Franklin.
Curtis acquired the Country
Gentleman, then published in AL
bany, in 1911, and moved it to
Philadelphia.
He purchased the Public Ledger
on January /. 1918, with John
Gribbel as a partner. An evening
edition was added in September
1914. In June, 1918, he bought
S1e Evening Telegraph, scrapped
it, and transferred the Associated
press franchise to the Evening
Ledger. The Philadelphia Press