Jay Holcomb Neff (July 6, 1854 – August 14, 1915) was a newspaper publisher and

Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri The Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri is the highest official in the Kansas City, Missouri Municipal Government. Since the 1920s the city has had a council-manager government in which a city manager runs most of the day-to-day operations of ...

from 1904 to 1906.

Biography

Neff was born in Hartford, Indiana. He sold books to pay his way through Asbury College. He studied law and practiced in

Peru, Indiana Peru is a city in, and the county seat of, Miami County, Indiana, Miami County, Indiana, United States. It is north of Indianapolis. The population was 11,417 at the 2010 census, making it the most populous city in Miami County. Peru is located ...

. He moved to Kansas City in 1881 where he started working the ''Kansas City Daily Price Current'' and eventually owned the publication which he renamed the ''Daily Drovers Telegram''. He bought similar publications in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

and

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

. In 1901 an editorial in the ''Kansas City Drovers Telegram'' entitled "Call It The American Royal" was to end up causing the Kansas City Livestock Show to change its name to the

American Royal The American Royal is a livestock show, horse show, rodeo, and barbecue competition held each year in September – November at various sites in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The Future Farmers of America (now the National FFA Organiza ...

. After his death his son Ward Andrew Neff bought the ''Chicago Daily Drovers Journal'' and all the publications were merged into the Kansas City Drovers. His son also donated money from the estate to move the

University of 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 ...

from Switzler Hall to a new building which was named Neff Hall in honor of Jay Holcomb. At the time it was the biggest donation in University of Missouri history. His residences were 1319 Washington Street, 520 Gladstone Boulevard and 1008 Valentine Road. He died in

Cody, Wyoming Cody is a city in Northwest Wyoming and the seat of government of Park County, Wyoming, United States. It is named after Colonel William Frederick " Buffalo Bill" Cody for his part in the founding of Cody in 1896. The population was 10,066 at ...

on August 14, 1915, and is buried in

Forest Hill Calvary Cemetery Forest Hill Calvary Cemetery is a cemetery in Kansas City, Missouri. History The Forest Hill Calvary Cemetery was established in 1888. George Kessler served as the landscape architect when the cemetery was established. The cemetery is approxi ...

in Kansas City.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Neff, Jay H. 1854 births 1915 deaths Mayors of Kansas City, Missouri Newspaper people from Omaha, Nebraska People from Hartford City, Indiana DePauw University alumni People from Peru, Indiana 19th-century American politicians Missouri Republicans