View source for Frank Gannett

'''Frank Ernest Gannett''' ([[September 15]], [[1876]] - [[December 3]], [[1957]]) founded the [[Gannett]] media corporation. He was born in [[South Bristol, New York]] and graduated from 
[[Cornell University]]<ref [[name]]=rocwiki>http://rocwiki.org/Frank_Ernest_Gannett accessed 17 February 2008</ref>.

At the age of 30, he purchased his first newspaper, the ''[[Elmira, New York|Elmira]] Gazette'' (now the ''[[Star-Gazette]]''). Six years later, in 1912, he purchased the ''[[Ithaca Journal]]''. In 1918, he and his partners moved their headquarters to [[Rochester, New York]]
where they acquired [[the Herald]], Union(?) and Advertiser(?) and combined them as the Times-Union (the former evening paper of 
Rochester)<ref name=westiron>http://www.westirondequoit.org/iroquois/Rochester/Gannett.htm accessed 17 February 2008</ref>.  In 1923 Gannett bought out his partners and formed his eponymous [[holding company]] which then consisted of six newspapers.  In 1928 Gannett had purchased the [[Democrat and Chronicle]] morning paper of Rochester<ref name=roc_dc>http://rocwiki.org/Democrat_%26_Chronicle accessed 17 February 2008</ref>.
By 1929 the company owned 16 newspapers<ref name=westiron>http://www.westirondequoit.org/iroquois/Rochester/Gannett.htm accessed 17 February 2008</ref>.  

Active in state [[politics]], Gannett took a neutral stand to the [[New Deal]] in 1936 before joining the opposition against President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]]'s court-packing scheme. He helped the Republicans retake control of Rochester's City Council a year later.  At one [[time]] (1939-1940), he ran for presidential nomination. He was a founding member of the [[National Committee to Uphold Constitutional Government]] a group formed in opposition to [[FDR]] and the [[New Deal]].

In his remaining years he worked hard to modernize his regional newspaper conglomerate. He was always striving to obtain modern ideas and machinery. The Gannett company owned 22 newspapers at the time of Gannett's death in Rochester in 1957.  However, it was only after he died that the company grew [[nation]]-wide. The [[Gannett]] Corporation that he founded today includes such newspapers as ''[[USA Today]]''.

The libraries at [[Elmira College]]<ref name=elmira>http://www.elmira.edu/academics/library/about/location Gannett-Tripp Library at Elmira College accessed 17 February 2008</ref>, 
[[Utica College]]<ref name=utica>http://www.utica.edu/academic/library/aboutlib/maps/UC%20Library%20Map.pdf Frank E. Gannett Memorial Library at Utica College accessed 17 February 2008</ref>, and [[Ithaca College]]<ref name=ithaca>http://www.ithaca.edu/tour/gannett.php Gannett Center at Ithaca College accessed 17 February 2008</ref>
are named for him, in addition to the student health center at [[Cornell University]] (Gannett Health Services)<ref name=cornell>http://www.gannett.cornell.edu/ Gannett Health Services at Cornell University accessed 17 February 2008</ref> and the building that houses the printing and photography programs at [[Rochester Institute of Technology]]<ref name=rit>http://whatsinaname.rit.edu/buildings/?id=7 RIT: What's In A Name?</ref>.  
There is also the Frank E. Gannett Field House named after him at 
[[Wilson College (Pennsylvania)|Wilson College]] in 
[[Chambersburg, Pennsylvania]]<ref name=wilson>http://www.wilson.edu/wilson/asp/content.asp?id=175 Frank E. Gannett Field House at Wilson College accessed 17 February 2008</ref>.

Frank Gannett is buried in historic [[Mount Hope Cemetery, Rochester|Mt. Hope Cemetery]] in 
[[Rochester, New York]]<ref name=fomh>http://www.fomh.org/history.php accessed 17 February 2008</ref>.

== References ==

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[[Category:People]]
[[Category:Publishers]]