Edwin William Stephens or E. W. Stephens (1849–1931) was an American publisher, journalist, and prominent leader in civic and religious affairs from Columbia, Missouri. He founded

E.W. Stephens Publishing Company The E.W. Stephens Publishing Company was an American publishing company in Columbia, Missouri founded by Edwin William Stephens. Operating from the late 19th century into the 20th century, the press produced newspapers, novels, non-fiction bo ...

and published a daily newspaper known as the ''Columbia Herald''. A prominent Baptist, he was president of the

Southern Baptist Convention The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination, and the largest Protestant and second-largest Christian denomination in the United States. The wo ...

. In 1911 he chaired the committee that designed and built the

Missouri State Capitol The Missouri State Capitol is the home of the Missouri General Assembly and the executive branch of government of the U.S. state of Missouri. Located in Jefferson City at 201 West Capitol Avenue, it is the third capitol to be built in the city. ...

. He served president of the board of curators of both the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus University of Missouri System. MU was founded ...

and

Stephens College Stephens College is a private women's college in Columbia, Missouri. It is the second-oldest women's educational establishment that is still a women's college in the United States. It was founded on August 24, 1833, as the Columbia Female Acad ...

, the latter being named after his father James Stephens.

Biography

Edwin William Stephens was born in into a prominent family in Columbia, Missouri on January 21, 1849. He graduated from the

in 1867. He was hired by William Switzler, publisher of the ''Missouri Statesman''. In 1870 he went into business for himself, eventually founding the ''Columbia Herald'', which became famous as "America's model weekly." He also founded the E.W. Stephens Publishing Company. Stephens served as president of the board of curators for both the

and

, which was named after his father James L. Stephens. In 1890 he was president of the Missouri Press Association where he would advocate for the creation of the

Missouri State Historical Society The State Historical Society of Missouri, a private membership and state funded organization, is a comprehensive research facility located in Columbia, Missouri, specializing in the preservation and study of Missouri's cultural heritage. Establ ...

and became its first president in 1898. His relationship with Walter Williams, who he employed at the Herald, would lead to the creation of the world's first school of journalism: the

Missouri School of Journalism The Missouri School of Journalism at the University of Missouri in Columbia is one of the oldest formal journalism schools in the world. The school provides academic education and practical training in all areas of journalism and strategic comm ...

. Stephens chaired the commission responsible for the design and construction of the current

. He was a lifelong member and leader of First Baptist Church in Columbia. He died at his home on May 21, 1931, and is buried in the Columbia Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stephens, Edwin William 1849 births 1931 deaths Stephens College people Journalists from Missouri American publishers (people) University of Missouri alumni University of Missouri curators Writers from Columbia, Missouri Burials at Columbia Cemetery (Columbia, Missouri) Southern Baptist Convention presidents

Biography

See also

References