View source for Adolph Ochs

{{short description|American newspaper publisher (1858–1935)}}
{{Infobox person
| birth_name         = Adolph Simon Ochs
| birth_date         = {{birth date|1858|3|12}}
| birth_place        = [[Cincinnati]], Ohio, U.S.
| death_date         = {{death date and age|1935|4|8|1858|3|12}}
| death_place        = [[Chattanooga, Tennessee]], U.S.
| image              = CAB 1918 Ochs Adolph S.jpg
| signature          = CAB 1918 Ochs Adolph S signature.png
| occupation         = Publisher
| spouse             = Effie Wise
| children           = [[Iphigene Ochs Sulzberger]]
| burial_place       = Temple Israel Cemetery, [[Hastings-on-Hudson, New York]], U.S.
}}

'''Adolph Simon Ochs''' (March 12, 1858 – April 8, 1935) was an American newspaper publisher and former owner of ''[[The New York Times]]'' and ''The Chattanooga Times'', which is now the ''[[Chattanooga Times Free Press]]''. Through his only child, [[Iphigene Ochs Sulzberger]], and her husband [[Arthur Hays Sulzberger]], Ochs's descendants continue to publish ''The New York Times'' through the present day.

==Early life and education==
Ochs was born in [[Cincinnati]], Ohio, on March 12, 1858, to Julius Ochs and Bertha Levy, both [[German Jewish]] immigrants. His father had left [[Bavaria]] for the United States in 1846.<ref name=eb>{{Cite EB1922|wstitle=Ochs, Adolph S.}}</ref> Julius was a highly educated man, fluent in six languages, and he taught at schools throughout the [[Southern United States|South]]. He supported the [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] during the [[American Civil War|Civil War]].<ref name=":0">Lukesh, Susan S. [http://www.immigrantentrepreneurship.org/entry.php?rec=32 "Adolph Ochs"]. In ''Immigrant Entrepreneurship: German-American Business Biographies, 1720 to the Present'', vol. 2, edited by William J. Hausman. German Historical Institute. Last modified June 19, 2012.</ref> Ochs' mother Bertha came to the United States in 1848, fleeing the [[Revolutions of 1848 in Germany|German Revolutions]] in [[Rhenish Bavaria]], and lived in the [[Southern United States|South]] prior to her 1853 marriage to Julius. She sympathized with the [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]] during the [[American Civil War]], but the conflicting sympathies between husband and wife did not separate their household.<ref name=nyt>[https://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/0312.html Obituary], ''[[The New York Times]]'', April 9, 1935.</ref>

Following the end of the Civil War, the family moved to [[Knoxville, Tennessee]], in the eastern, Union-affiliated part of the state.<ref name=nyt /> In Knoxville, Adolph studied in the public schools. During his spare time, he delivered newspapers.<ref name=eb />

==Career==
At age 11, Ochs went to work at the ''Knoxville Chronicle'' as an office assistant to the newspaper's editor, [[William Rule (American editor)|William Rule]], who became a mentor.<ref name=nyt /> In 1871, Ochs worked as a grocer's clerk in [[Providence, Rhode Island]], while attending night school. He returned to Knoxville, where he was an apprentice to a pharmacist for some time.<ref name=amer>{{Cite Americana|wstitle=Ochs, Adolph S. |year=1920}}</ref>

In 1872, Ochs returned to the ''Chronicle'' as a [[printer's devil]], who looked after various details in the composing room of the newspaper.<ref name=nyt /> His siblings also worked at the newspaper to supplement the income of their father, a lay religious leader for Knoxville's small Jewish community. The ''Chronicle'' was the only Republican, pro-[[Reconstruction era of the United States|Reconstruction]], newspaper in the city, but Ochs counted [[Abram Joseph Ryan|Father Ryan]], the Poet-Priest of the Confederacy, among his customers.<ref>Neely, Jack. ''Knoxville's Secret History''. Scruffy City Publishing, 1995.</ref>

===Chattanooga Times===
{{Further|Chattanooga Times Free Press}}
At the age of 19, Ochs borrowed $250 from his family to purchase a controlling interest in the ''[[Chattanooga Times Free Press|Chattanooga Times]]'', becoming its publisher.

The following year, he founded a commercial paper that he called ''The Tradesman''. He was one of the founders of the Southern Associated Press and served as president.

===The New York Times===
{{Further|The New York Times}}
[[File:TIMEMagazine1Sep1924.jpg|thumb|Ochs on the September 1, 1924, cover of ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine]]
In 1896, at the age of 38, he was advised by ''[[The New York Times]]'' reporter [[Henry Alloway]] that the paper could be bought at a greatly reduced price due to its financial losses and wide range of competitors in [[New York City]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Davis|first=Elmer Holmes|title=History of the New York Times, 1851-1921|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.87872|year=1921|location=New York|pages=[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.87872/page/n259 179]–181}}</ref><ref name="crump">{{cite book|last=Crump|first=William D.|title=Encyclopedia of New Year's Holidays Worldwide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ujTfCwAAQBAJ&q=One+Times+Square+building&pg=PA242|publisher=McFarland|date=2014|page=242|isbn=9781476607481}}</ref>

After borrowing money to purchase the ''Times'' for $75,000,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/0312.html|title=Adolph S. Ochs Dead at 77; Publisher of Times Since 1896|website=The New York Times |access-date=2019-05-31}}</ref> Ochs formed [[The New York Times Company]], placed the paper on a strong financial foundation, and became the majority stockholder.<ref name=eb />

In 1904, Ochs hired [[Carr Van Anda]] as his managing editor. They focused on [[objective journalism]] at a time when newspapers were openly and highly partisan. They also decreased the newspaper's cost from 3 cents per issue to 1 cent, which led to the newspaper's survival.  The newspaper's readership increased from 9,000 at the time of his purchase to 780,000 by the 1920s. He also added the ''Times''{{'}} well-known [[Nameplate (publishing)|masthead]] motto: "All the News That's Fit to Print".<ref name=":0" />

In 1904, Ochs moved ''The New York Times'' to a newly built building on [[Longacre Square]] in [[Manhattan]], which the City of New York then renamed as [[Times Square]].

On New Year's Eve 1904, Ochs had pyrotechnists illuminate his new building at [[One Times Square]] with a fireworks show from street level.<ref name="crump"/><ref name="lankevich">{{cite book|last=Lankevich|first=George J.|title=Postcards from Times Square|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fSv3JxmjLo4C&q=One+Times+Square&pg=PA1892|publisher=[[Square One Publishers]]|date=2001|page=20|isbn=9780757001000}}</ref><ref name="mckendry">{{cite book|last=McKendry|first=Joe|title=One Times Square: A Century of Change at the Crossroads of the World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S1FfFwpp5Z4C&q=One+Times+Square&pg=PT10|publisher=David R. Godine Publisher|date=2011|pages=10–14|isbn=9781567923643}}</ref>

Beginning with 1896, there was issued weekly a supplement, eventually called ''The New York Times Book Review and Magazine''. Other auxiliary publications were incrementally added, including ''The Annalist'', a financial review appearing on Mondays, ''The Times Mid-Week Pictorial'' on Thursdays, ''Current History Magazine'', a monthly, started during [[World War I]], ''The New York Times Index'', started in 1913, published quarterly, and comparable only to the ''Index'', published by ''[[The Times]]'' in London.<ref name=eb />

On August 18, 1921, the 25th anniversary of reorganization, ''The New York Times'' employed 1,885 people. It was classified as an [[independent Democrat]]ic publication, and consistently opposed [[William Jennings Bryan]] in his presidential campaigns. By its fairness in the presentation of news, editorial moderation and ample foreign service, it secured a high place in American journalism, becoming widely read and influential throughout the United States.<ref name=eb />

===Philadelphia Public Ledger===
{{Further|Public Ledger (Philadelphia)}}
In 1901, Ochs became proprietor and editor of the Philadelphia ''Times'', which was later merged into the Philadelphia ''[[Public Ledger (Philadelphia)|Public Ledger]]''. Ochs was the sole owner of the [[Philadelphia]]-based newspaper from 1902 to 1912, when he sold it to [[Cyrus H. K. Curtis]].<ref name=eb />

According to Wolfgang Disch,{{refn|group=note|name=Disch|Wolfgang K. A. Disch wrote several books on the topic of marketing, mostly in [[German language|German]], including a bibliography.<ref name="19640101WJ">{{cite book |last1=Disch |first1=Wolfgang |title=Bibliographie zur Marktforschung : Bibliography on marketing research. Bibliographie sur l'étude des marchés |url=https://catalog.libraries.psu.edu/catalog/60752 |website=Penn State University Libraries |year=1964 |publisher=Welt-Wirtschafts-Archiv |access-date=7 June 2020}}</ref>}}

In 1916, Ochs communicated one of his most famous quotes, saying, "I affirm that more than 50% of money spent on advertising is squandered and is a sheer waste of printers' ink." The quote might be the origin of the common marketing saying, "I know half the money I spend on advertising is wasted, but I can never find out which half", a quote that has been attributed to [[John Wanamaker]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.gem-online.de/pdf/gem_publikation/HalftheMoneyIspend.pdf |title=''Marketing Journal''. |access-date=2012-01-07 |archive-date=2012-02-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120227095319/http://www.gem-online.de/pdf/gem_publikation/HalftheMoneyIspend.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Ochs was elected to the [[American Philosophical Society]] in 1931.<ref>{{Cite web |title=APS Member History |url=https://search.amphilsoc.org/memhist/search?creator=Adolph+S.+Ochs&title=&subject=&subdiv=&mem=&year=&year-max=&dead=&keyword=&smode=advanced |access-date=2023-07-07 |website=search.amphilsoc.org}}</ref>

==Personal life==
[[File:Adolph-and-iphigene-ochs-1902.jpg|thumb|Ochs and his daughter, Iphigene, {{circa|1902}}]]
In 1884, Ochs married Effie Wise, a daughter of [[Rabbi]] [[Isaac Mayer Wise]] of [[Cincinnati]], who was the leading exponent of [[Reform Judaism]] in the United States, and the founder of [[Hebrew Union College]].<ref name=AJAIsaacMeyer>[http://collections.americanjewisharchives.org/ms/ms0436/ms0436.html American Jewish Archives: "A Finding Aid to the Isaac Mayer Wise Papers. 1838-1931 - Manuscript Collection No. 436"] retrieved September 27, 2015</ref><ref name=BenjaminMay>{{cite book |last1=May|first1=Max Benjamin|title=Isaac Mayer Wise: The Founder of American Judaism; a Biography |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J9s-AAAAYAAJ&q=Isaac+Mayer+Wise+daughter&pg=PA380|year=1992|publisher=Littman Library Of Jewish Civilization|page=380|isbn=978-0197100592}}</ref>

In 1928, Ochs built the [[Mizpah Congregation]] Temple in [[Chattanooga, Tennessee]] in memory of his parents, Julius and Bertha Ochs.<ref>Elena Irish Zimmerman, ''Chattanooga'', Arcadia Publishing, 1998, p. 49.</ref> The Georgian colonial building was designated as a Tennessee Historical Preservation Site in 1979.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.mizpahcongregation.org/aboutus/history/ |title=Mizpah. |access-date=2009-04-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090530190624/http://www.mizpahcongregation.org/aboutus/history/ |archive-date=2009-05-30 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Ochs fought [[anti-Semitism]] during his career. He was active in the early years of the [[Anti-Defamation League]], where he served as an executive board member, and used his influence as publisher of ''[[The New York Times]]'' to convince other newspapers nationwide to cease the unjustified caricaturing and lampooning of [[Jews]] in the American media.

Ochs was an opponent of a [[Jewish state]] in [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Medoff|first=Rafael|title=Jewish Americans and Political Participation: A Reference Handbook|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FSgiR7OD8DsC&pg=PA216|year=2002|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-57607-314-8|pages=215–216}}</ref>

Ochs was the uncle of [[World War II]] [[Major general]] [[Julius Ochs Adler]].

==Death==
Ochs died on April 8, 1935, during a visit to [[Chattanooga, Tennessee]].<ref>Timothy Ezzell, [http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=1014 "Adolph Ochs"]. ''Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture''.</ref> He is buried at the Temple Israel Cemetery in [[Hastings-on-Hudson, New York|Hastings-on-Hudson]] in [[Westchester County, New York]].<ref name=nyt /><ref name="Adolph Ochs dies in Chattanooga">{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19350409&id=NYxRAAAAIBAJ&pg=2832,4858636|title=Adolph Ochs dies suddenly in Tennessee|date=April 9, 1935|publisher=Pittsburgh (Pa.) Post-Gazette|access-date=26 June 2012}}</ref>

==Legacy==
[[File:ochsstamp.jpg|thumb|A 1976 [[United States Postal Service]] stamp commemorating Ochs]]
Ochs' daughter, Iphigene Bertha Ochs, married [[Arthur Hays Sulzberger]], who became publisher of ''[[The New York Times]]'' following his death. Her son-in-law, [[Orvil Dryfoos]], was publisher of ''The New York Times'' from 1961 to 1963, and he was succeeded by her son, [[Arthur Ochs Sulzberger]]. Her daughter, Ruth Holmberg, became publisher of ''The Chattanooga Times''. Ruth Holmberg's son, [[Arthur Golden]], authored ''[[Memoirs of a Geisha]]''. [[Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr.]] served as publisher of ''The New York Times'' from 1992 until 2017, when he was succeeded by his own son, [[A. G. Sulzberger]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/14/business/media/a-g-sulzberger-new-york-times-publisher.html |title=A.G. Sulzberger, 37, Is Named Next Publisher of The New York Times |last=Ember |first=Sydney |date=December 14, 2017 |work=The New York Times |access-date=December 14, 2017 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

One of Ochs's nephews, [[Julius Ochs Adler]], worked at ''The New York Times'' for more than 40 years, becoming general manager in 1935, after Ochs died. Another nephew, [[John Bertram Oakes]], the son of his brother [[George Washington Ochs Oakes]], in 1961 became editor of its editorial page, a position he held until 1976. Ochs was inducted into the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame in 1982. Another nephew, Adolph Shelby Ochs, was treasurer and a director of ''The Chattanooga Times''. He was married to Mrs. Theodosia Fitzgerald Gray of [[Danville, Virginia]], granddaughter of Dan River Inc. founder T.B. Fitzgerald, niece of Wachovia Bank founder James Alexander Gray and cousin of Bowman Gray Sr., former president and chairman of R. J. Reynolds.

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
'''Citations'''
{{reflist}}

'''Further reading'''
*Tifft, Susan E. and Jones, Alex S. (1999) ''The Trust: The Private and Powerful Family Behind The New York Times''. New York: Little, Brown and Company {{ISBN|9780316845465}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080414191813/http://www.adl.org/ADLHistory/1913_1920.asp "History of the ADL: 1913-1920 ADL - In Retrospect: 'Hang the Jew, Hang the Jew']

==External links==
{{Commons category|Adolph Ochs}}
{{Collier's poster|Ochs, Adolph S.}}
*[http://www.immigrantentrepreneurship.org/entry.php?rec=32 "Adolph Ochs", ''Immigrant Entrepreneurship'', 2012]
*[https://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/0312.html Obituary, ''NY Times'', April 9, 1935, "Adolph S. Ochs Dead at 77; Publisher of Times Since 1896"]
*[http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/ochs.html Jewish Virtual Library - Adolph Ochs]
*[http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=1014 ''Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture'' article]
*[http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2054 Article in FAIR by John L. Hess assessing career]
*{{Cite CAB|wstitle=Ochs, Adolph S.|pages=530-532 |short=x}}
*[http://archives.nypl.org/mss/17781 Adolph S. Ochs papers], Manuscripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library.
* {{PM20|FID=pe/022905}}

{{s-start}} 
{{s-bus}}
{{succession box |
 before=Business acquired from George F. Spinney|
 title=[[The New York Times Company|The New York Times Company Publisher]] |
 years=1896–1935 |
 after=[[Arthur Hays Sulzberger]]|
}}
{{s-ach}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Edith Cummings]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of covers of Time magazine (1920s)|Cover of ''Time'' magazine]]
|years=1 September 1924}} 
{{s-aft|after=[[Wu Peifu|Wu Pei-fu]]}} 
{{s-end}}

{{The New York Times}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ochs, Adolph}}
[[Category:1858 births]]
[[Category:1935 deaths]]
[[Category:19th-century American newspaper publishers (people)]]
[[Category:20th-century American newspaper publishers (people)]]
[[Category:Jewish American anti-Zionists]]
[[Category:American people of German-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:American Reform Jews]]
[[Category:Anti-Defamation League members]]
[[Category:Editors of Tennessee newspapers]]
[[Category:Members of the American Philosophical Society]]
[[Category:People from Chattanooga, Tennessee]]
[[Category:People from Cincinnati]]
[[Category:Mass media people from Knoxville, Tennessee]]
[[Category:The New York Times publishers]]