John McNaught (February 2, 1849 – March 12, 1938) was a newspaper

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, pla ...

and

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, ...

of ''

The Sacramento Union ''The Sacramento Union'' was a daily newspaper founded in 1851 in Sacramento, California. It was the oldest daily newspaper west of the Mississippi River before it closed its doors after 143 years in January 1994, no longer able to compete with ' ...

'' and ''

The San Francisco Call ''The San Francisco Call'' was a newspaper that served San Francisco, California. Because of a succession of mergers with other newspapers, the paper variously came to be called ''The San Francisco Call & Post'', the ''San Francisco Call-Bulletin ...

''; he was the personal secretary to

Joseph Pulitzer Joseph Pulitzer ( ; born Pulitzer József, ; April 10, 1847 – October 29, 1911) was a Hungarian-American politician and newspaper publisher of the '' St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' and the ''New York World''. He became a leading national figure in ...

of the ''

New York World The ''New York World'' was a newspaper published in New York City from 1860 until 1931. The paper played a major role in the history of American newspapers. It was a leading national voice of the Democratic Party. From 1883 to 1911 under publ ...

.'' He was an accomplished writer and public speaker in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

Early life

McNaught was born in Newport, Florida, on February 2, 1849. He graduated from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

. He married Elma Bland on April 13, 1892, in

Santa Clara, California Santa Clara (; Spanish for " Saint Clare") is a city in Santa Clara County, California. The city's population was 127,647 at the 2020 census, making it the eighth-most populous city in the Bay Area. Located in the southern Bay Area, the cit ...

. They were wed for 22 years. She died on April 30, 1914. On October 29, 1915, at age 66, he married Dr. Margaret Everitt Schallenberger (1862-1951) at her pioneer home near

San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popul ...

Professional background

John McNaught had an extensive journalistic career in which he developed a knowledge of national and state affairs. He started as editor on ''

'' in 1895, when Charles M. Shortridge purchased the paper. He became general manager of the ''Call'' on October 1, 1903. On January 24, 1903, McNaught gave a eulogy for the 144th anniversary of the birth of Scottish poet and lyricist

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who ha ...

. Some five thousand people were present at the Mechanics' Pavilion, representing four Scottish societies. On December 9, 1903, McNaught, as manager of the ''San Francisco Call,'' spoke on the topic, "Why San Francisco Should Make a Special Display at the St. Louis Exposition." Mayor

Eugene Schmitz Eugene Edward Schmitz (August 22, 1864 – November 20, 1928), often referenced as "Handsome Gene" Schmitz, was an American musician and politician, the 26th mayor of San Francisco (1902-7), who was in office during the 1906 San Francisco earthqu ...

and

M. H. de Young Michael Henry de Young (September 30, 1849 – February 15, 1925) was an American journalist and businessman. Early life De Young was born in St. Louis, Missouri. The family was Jewish. Michael in later years claimed that his father was a Balt ...

also spoke. McNaught said that a display at the Exposition would "be necessary to demonstrate to the world the importance of the city as a commercial and an industrial center." McNaught was a speaker when the

William McKinley Memorial The ''William McKinley Memorial'', is a statue honoring the assassinated United States President William McKinley which stands at the foot of the Panhandle Park, San Francisco, California, facing the DMV across Baker Street. Created by Robert ...

was unveiled on November 24, 1904, at the entrance to the Panhandle at Golden Gate Park. More than five thousand people attended. On October 19, 1905, McNaught traveled to New York to give a speech at the Astor Gallery of the

Waldorf-Astoria The Waldorf Astoria New York is a luxury hotel and condominium residence in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The structure, at 301 Park Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets, is a 47-story Art Deco landmark designed by architects Schu ...

for the International Advertising Association. McNaught spoke about having a convention in San Francisco and how world politics were centering in the Pacific. McNaught retired from the ''San Francisco Call'' in 1906 after a dozen years at the newspaper. During the

1906 San Francisco earthquake At 05:12 Pacific Standard Time on Wednesday, April 18, 1906, the coast of Northern California was struck by a major earthquake with an estimated moment magnitude of 7.9 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (''Extreme''). High-intensity s ...

and fire, McNaught became a member of Mayor Eugene Schmitz's Committee of Fifty. Afterward, he worked on other newspapers in Alaska and went to New York to work under

of the

from 1907 to 1912. He traveled to many countries as Pulitzer's personal secretary. After he left ''

The Evening World ''The Evening World'' was a newspaper that was published in New York City from 1887 to 1931. It was owned by Joseph Pulitzer, and served as an evening edition of the ''New York World.'' History The first issue was on October 10, 1887. It was publ ...

,'' he became editor of the '' New York Morning World,'' through 1915. When he married his second wife, Margaret Schallenberger, in 1915, McNaught moved back to California, where he became editor of ''

.'' In February 1916 McNaught gave a series of lectures on

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (pro ...

at the

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Fran ...

. McNaught was a member of the

Bohemian Club The Bohemian Club is a private club with two locations: a city clubhouse in the Nob Hill district of San Francisco, California and the Bohemian Grove, a retreat north of the city in Sonoma County. Founded in 1872 from a regular meeting of jou ...

and the

Press Club Organizations A press club is an organization for journalists and others professionally engaged in the production and dissemination of news. A press club whose membership is defined by the press of a given country may be known as a National Pres ...

of San Francisco.

Death

McNaught died on March 12, 1938, at the age of 89, in

. He was buried at the

Oak Hill Memorial Park Oak Hill Memorial Park is a cemetery in San Jose, California. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest secular cemetery in California. Oak Hill is the northernmost hill in the San Juan Bautista Hills of South San Jose. History The cemet ...

in that city.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McNaught, John 1849 births 1938 deaths People from California People from Florida Harvard University alumni 20th-century American male writers

Early life

Professional background

Death

See also

References