Los Angeles, CA - Printing And Publishing
Harrison Gray Otis, born on July 30, 1917 in Ohio, functioned as the second publisher of the Los Angeles Times. It is currently the second-largest regional newspaper in America. Since its establishment in 1991, the paper has been awarded 37 Pulitzer Prizes through 2004, including four in editorial cartooning, and one each for news reporting for coverage of the 1965 Watts Riots and the Los Angeles riots in 1992.
Otis was part of the Republican National Convention that nominated Abraham Lincoln for president. He signed up for the Union army during the Civil War, fighting in William McKinley's regimen. After the conclusion of the war, he worked in the publishing trade before relocating to California.
Working for smaller newspapers before joining the Times, Otis wrote op-eds and news before buying a half interest in the paper, naming himself president and editor-in-chief.
In 1898, when the Spanish-American War escalated, Otis requested that his former leader William McKinley, now the commander-in-chief, name him as Assistant Secretary of War. However, serving Secretary of War Russell A. Alger didn't want to work with Otis. So, Otis once again volunteered for the army and was named brigadier general of volunteers in the Philippines. Later, he commanded the 1st Brigade during the Philippine-American War.
After the war concluded, Otis returned to his job at the Times. His support for Los Angeles was pivotal in the later growth of the city. He was part of the San Fernando Syndicate, an investor group who purchased land in the San Fernando Valley because of the knowledge that the Los Angeles aqueduct would one day irrigate it. Otis utilized his platform at the Times to scare citizens, with stories of impending droughts, to cast a ballot for the funding of the aqueduct.
Otis' house was one of the buildings targeted in the 1910 Los Angeles Times bombing. He was known for his conservative political views, which were showcased in the paper. Harry Chandler, his son in law - married to daughter Marian Otis Chandler � succeeded him as publisher of the Los Angeles Times.
Matt Paolini is a beat writer for CityBook, the family-safe Online Yellow Pages, which carries an extensive directory on Los Angeles printing equipment and supplies.
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