John Roll
In the 1860s, Washington McLean bought out Faran's interest in the "Enquirer". In 1872, he sold a half interest in the newspaper to his son, John Roll McLean, who assumed full ownership of the paper in 1881. He owned the paper until his death in 1916. Having little faith in his only child, Ned, John Roll McLean put the "Enquirer" and another paper he owned, "The Washington Post", in trust with the American Security and Trust Company of Washington, D.C., as trustee. Ned successfully broke the trust regarding "The Post", an action that led to its bankruptcy and eventual sale to Eugene Meyer in 1933. The "Enquirer", however, continued to be held in trust until 1952.