Alfred Horatio Belo (May 27, 1839 – April 19, 1901) was the founder of ''

The Dallas Morning News ''The Dallas Morning News'' is a daily newspaper serving the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas, with an average print circulation of 65,369. It was founded on October 1, 1885 by Alfred Horatio Belo as a satellite publication of the ''Galvesto ...

'' newspaper in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

, along with business partner

George Bannerman Dealey George Bannerman Dealey (September 18, 1859 – February 26, 1946) was a Dallas, Texas, businessman. Dealey was the long-time publisher of ''The Dallas Morning News'' and owner of the A. H. Belo Corporation. A plaza in Dallas is named in h ...

. The company A. H. Belo Corporation, owner of ''The Dallas Morning News'', was named in his honor.

Early life

Belo was born in

Salem, North Carolina Salem is a census-designated place (CDP) in Burke County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,218 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Hickory–Lenoir– Morganton Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The town of Sale ...

, in May 1839. He was highly educated from an early age. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, Belo fought for the Confederacy. He was a colonel in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

and commanded the 55th North Carolina Infantry Regiment. He was wounded in the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of the Po ...

and then again in the

Battle of Cold Harbor The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought during the American Civil War near Mechanicsville, Virginia, from May 31 to June 12, 1864, with the most significant fighting occurring on June 3. It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S ...

. Alfred’s father was Edwin Belo. In his younger years Alfred attended Bingham School. After that, he graduated from the University of North Carolina. Later Belo became a captain assigned to the 55th North Carolina Infantry. He fought multiple battles with Robert E Lee's army, and for his role in the Battle of Manassas he was promoted to major. Belo became a lieutenant colonel soon after. After becoming a lieutenant colonel, Belo fought in the battle of Gettysburg in 1863. During the battle, Belo was severely wounded. He also received a serious injury at the battle of Cold Harbor a year later. This time his left arm was shattered.

Business Life

At the end of the Civil War, Belo moved to the

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

area in search of job opportunities. He met newspaperman Willard Richardson, who had replaced Samuel Bangs as publisher of the fledgling (circulation 200) '' Daily News'' of Galveston. Belo eventually succeeded Richardson as publisher, becoming majority owner of the company in 1865. In 1881, Belo incorporated the Galveston Daily News.

The Dallas Morning News

Belo expanded the Daily News by starting a new newspaper in 1885 under the recommendation of George Bannerman Dealey, who Belo had hired as an office boy in 1874. The Dallas Morning News published its first edition in what was then the prairie town of Dallas, population 18,000. The Dallas Morning News under Belo continued Richardson's embrace of the innovation of the day—telephony and railroads. It used the telegraph to communicate across 315 miles such that the Galveston Daily News and the Dallas Morning News could issue the first wire-connected publication with joint issues. It further established a train schedule to Fort Worth, Dennison, and Waco to allow it to expand to a year-end circulation of 5,678 daily and 6,435 Sunday papers. From there it continued a steady growth in circulation. In 1885, Belo sent

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

to help establish a sister newspaper in that city. Dealey had been working his way up in the company since 1874. He was given the title of business manager to oversee the creation of the newspaper (which formed the first newspaper chain.) The first edition was printed October 1, 1885. The building where the newspaper was headquartered made use of the city's first commercial electric lights. Dallas - A

Personal life

Belo married Nettie Ennis. They had a son and a daughter, Alfred Horatio Belo, Jr. and Jeannette Belo. They built the

Alfred Horatio Belo House The Alfred Horatio Belo House is a historic mansion in Dallas, Texas, USA. It was built for Colonel Alfred Horatio Belo, a veteran of the Confederate States Army and founder of ''The Dallas Morning News'', circa 1900. It remained in the Belo fam ...

in Dallas, Texas, one year before he died. One of his children, would become the next president of the Galveston News.

Death

Belo died on April 19, 1901, in his family's summer home in

Asheville, North Carolina Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous cit ...

. Belo had never fully recovered from his battle wounds and sought comfort and relief many months out of the year outside of

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. He was buried near his hometown, Salem.

Controversy

The company which owned the Dallas Morning News, the paper founded by Belo, removed its founder's name on June 29, 2021, after acknowledging Belo's Civil War past as an officer in the Confederacy. The change was proposed in 2021 by Robert W. Decherd, the company’s chairman, president and CEO, to embrace “the social justice movement underway in America.” The name change was approved with 99% of votes cast. A. H. Belo To Change Name To DallasNews Corp., Listing To Nasdaq; New Symbol 'DALN' - Quick Facts

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Belo, Alfred Horatio 1839 births 1901 deaths People from Forsyth County, North Carolina Confederate States Army officers Journalists from Houston 19th-century American newspaper publishers (people) Businesspeople from Houston People from Salem, North Carolina People from Asheville, North Carolina Businesspeople from Dallas Military personnel from Texas