The ''Great Falls Leader'' was a daily evening

newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports a ...

published in

Great Falls, Montana Great Falls is the third most populous city in the U.S. state of Montana and the county seat of Cascade County. The population was 60,442 according to the 2020 census. The city covers an area of and is the principal city of the Great Falls, M ...

. Established in 1888, the ''Leader'' was one of two daily newspapers in the city for much of its history, competing with the morning ''

Great Falls Tribune The ''Great Falls Tribune'' is a daily morning newspaper printed in Helena, Montana. It is one of Montana's largest newspaper companies. History The first edition of the newspaper then called the ''Weekly Tribune'' was printed on May 14, 188 ...

''. Publication of the ''Leader'' ended in 1969. It was established by Herbert and Martha Rolfe to counter the influence of Great Falls founder Paris Gibson’s Democratic Tribune. After Herbert died in 1895, Martha became the sole editor of The Leader herself, thereby becoming the first woman to edit a daily newspaper in the state. Today, the ''Leader'' is perhaps best remembered as the long-time employer of

Joseph Kinsey Howard Joseph Kinsey Howard (February 28, 1906 – August 25, 1951) was an American journalist, historian, and writer. He wrote extensively about the history, culture, and economic circumstances of Montana. One of the state's most noted authors of nonfi ...

, one of Montana's most noted authors and journalists. Howard was hired by the ''Leader'' as a reporter in 1923. when he was a seventeen-year-old

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

graduate. He became the paper's news editor three years later, and held that position until 1944.

References

Newspapers published in Montana 1888 establishments in Montana Territory Newspapers established in 1888 Publications disestablished in 1969 1969 disestablishments in Montana {{Montana-newspaper-stub