Henry W. Marshall
Henry Wright Marshall | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Acting President of Purdue University | |
| In office July 17, 1921 – September 1, 1922 | |
| Preceded by | Winthrop E. Stone |
| Succeeded by | Edward C. Elliott |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 29, 1865 Greene County, Ohio, United States |
| Died | January 31, 1951 (aged 86) Lafayette, Indiana, United States |
| Party | Republican |
| Occupation | Businessperson, politician, and educator |
| Signature | .png){kind=small} |
Henry Wright Marshall Sr. (January 29, 1865 – January 31, 1951) was an American businessperson and politician. He is known for being the founder of the Lafayette (Indiana) Journal & Courier, Speaker of the Indiana House of Representatives, and acting president of Purdue University.
Biography
[edit]Youth and business career
[edit]Marshall was born near Springfield, Ohio, and graduated in 1883 from Union Business College at Lafayette, Indiana. He began his business career as a stationery salesman. From the 1890s to the 1920s, Marshall was a founder or president of companies related to bridge construction, road paving, public utilities, railroads, and grain storage.[1] As president of the Western Construction Company, Marshall was indicted in 1908 when an employee overcharged the city of Indianapolis for a paving job.[2]
He purchased and consolidated the Lafayette Sunday Times and the Lafayette Morning Journal in 1914. In 1920 he merged them with the Lafayette Daily Courier to form the Journal & Courier, which remains the main newspaper of the Lafayette area.[1] The Evansville Courier was another Indiana newspaper company that he bought that year; he sold it to Mayor Benjamin Bosse a few months later.[3] Marshall continued to be the Journal & Courier's editor-in-chief for the rest of his life, although he eventually passed the title of publisher on to his son, Henry Marshall Jr.[1]
Politics and other activities
[edit]A member of the Republican Party, Marshall served in the Indiana House of Representatives from 1899 until 1905. In the 1903 legislative session he was that chamber's speaker.[1] Following his time in the legislature, Marshall continued to be active in state politics and was a delegate to state and national party conventions. In 1932 Marshall led a group that convinced the Indiana Republican convention to support the repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which had prohibited the sale of alcoholic beverages.[4]
In 1921, Marshall was appointed to the board of trustees of Purdue University.[5] The university's president, Winthrop Stone, died in a mountain-climbing accident a few months later, and Marshall was chosen to act as president until a successor could be found. Marshall considered this twelve-month period to be a time of crisis and refused to accept any payment for his services.[6]
Chicago's International Livestock Exposition first elected Marshall as their president in 1933, after the retirement of John Clay from the position.[7] They re-elected him sixteen times and he resigned in 1949.[1] By the time of his death in 1951, Marshall owned 6,000 acres (2,400 ha) of farm land near his home in Lafayette, Indiana.[3][8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e "Henry Marshall, Indiana Publisher: Founder of Lafayette Journal and Courier Dies". The New York Times. February 1, 1951. p. 25.
- ^ "Kosciusko County Asks Investigation: Citizens Point to Indianapolis As Example of What Can Be Done". Warsaw Daily Union. Vol. 4, no. 255. Warsaw, Indiana. July 1, 1908. p. 1.
- ^ a b "One-Time Owner of Evansville Courier Dies". Evansville Press. Evansville, Indiana. January 31, 1951. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
- ^ "Republican Action Surprises Indiana". The New York Times. June 12, 1932. p. E8.
- ^ Johnston, Thomas R.; Hand, Helen (November 1940). The Trustees and the Officers of Purdue University 1865–1940. The Archives of Purdue. Vol. 1. Lafayette, Indiana: Purdue University. p. 303.
- ^ Knoll, H. B. (1963). The Story of Purdue Engineering. Purdue University Studies. p. 68. LCCN 63-62507. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
- ^ "New President". The Indianapolis News. December 6, 1933. p. 21. Retrieved November 28, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "H. W. Marshall, 86, Indiana Publisher and Stockman, Dies". Chicago Daily Tribune. Lafayette, Indiana (published February 1, 1951). AP. January 31, 1951. p. 6. Retrieved October 21, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.