Oscar Stanley Stauffer (November 26, 1886 – February 24, 1982) was founder of the media company

Stauffer Communications Stauffer Communications was a privately held media corporation based in Topeka, Kansas, that owned many publications and broadcast outlets, including the ''Topeka Capital-Journal'' and WIBW, WIBW-FM, and WIBW-TV. The company operated from 1930 to ...

and is often credited with starting the bandwagon for Kansas Governor

Alf Landon Alfred Mossman Landon (September 9, 1887October 12, 1987) was an American oilman and politician who served as the 26th governor of Kansas from 1933 to 1937. A member of the Republican Party, he was the party's nominee in the 1936 presidential ...

getting the

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

nomination for President of the United States in 1936. At the time of his death, Stauffer owned 20 newspapers, two television stations, nine radio stations and several affiliated operations in 11 states.Ferguson, Lew
Journalism era ends with sale of Stauffer holdings
''

Fort Scott Tribune ''The Fort Scott Tribune'' is a daily newspaper serving Fort Scott, Kansas, United States. It has been owned by Rust Communications since 2004.

'', June 17, 1995 In 1886, Stauffer was born in

Hope, Kansas Hope is a city in southern Dickinson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 317. History Early history For many millennia, the Great Plains of North America was inhabited by nomadic Native Ame ...

. After graduating Emporia High School (Emporia, Kansas) in 1906, Stauffer went to work for

William Allen White William Allen White (February 10, 1868 – January 29, 1944) was an American newspaper editor, politician, author, and leader of the Progressive movement. Between 1896 and his death, White became a spokesman for middle America. At a 1937 ...

at the ''

Emporia Gazette The ''Emporia Gazette'' is a daily newspaper in Emporia, Kansas. History William Allen White bought the newspaper for $3,000 ($ in dollars) in 1895. Through his editorship, over the next five decades, he became an iconic figure in American journ ...

'' for $6/week. White fired him in 1908 to force him to attend the journalism school at the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...

. After graduating from college, he worked five years at ''

The Kansas City Star ''The Kansas City Star'' is a newspaper based in Kansas City, Missouri. Published since 1880, the paper is the recipient of eight Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Star'' is most notable for its influence on the career of President Harry S. Truman and as ...

''. In 1915, he bought his first newspaper, the '' Peabody Gazette-Herald'' in

Peabody, Kansas Peabody is a city in Marion County, Kansas, United States. It is named after F.H. Peabody, of Boston, former vice-president of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. Peabody is well known in the region for its Independence Day Celebration ...

, and was editor until 1922. He eventually bought five other newspapers, and merged them into

Stauffer Publications Stauffer Communications was a privately held media corporation based in Topeka, Kansas, that owned many publications and broadcast outlets, including the ''Topeka Capital-Journal'' and WIBW (AM), WIBW, WIBW-FM, and WIBW-TV. The company operated fro ...

in 1930. In 1935, Stauffer encountered ''Kansas City Star'' editor

Roy Roberts Roy Roberts (born Roy Barnes Jones, March 19, 1906 – May 28, 1975) was an American character actor. Over his more than 40-year career, he appeared in more than nine hundred productions on stage and screen. Life and career Born in Tampa ...

and is reported to have asked him, "Look here Roy, when are going to do something about getting Alf nominated?" Shortly thereafter, Roberts, Stauffer, ''Kansas City Star'' reporter Laci Haynes and

Pittsburg, Kansas Pittsburg is a city in Crawford County, Kansas, United States, located in southeast Kansas near the Missouri state border. It is the most populous city in Crawford County and southeast Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population of the ci ...

publisher Fred Brinkerhoff chipped in $500 each to open an "Alf Landon For President" campaign headquarters in the

Muehlebach Hotel The Hotel Muehlebach () is a historic hotel building in Downtown Kansas City that was visited by every President from Theodore Roosevelt to Ronald Reagan. It is currently operated as one of three wings of the Kansas City Marriott Downtown hotel ...

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

. Rather than printing any

stationery Stationery refers to commercially manufactured writing materials, including cut paper, envelopes, writing implements, continuous form paper, and other office supplies. Stationery includes materials to be written on by hand (e.g., letter paper) ...

, the publishers used the letterhead of ''Arkansas City Daily Traveler'' in

Arkansas City, Kansas Arkansas City () is a city in Cowley County, Kansas, United States, situated at the confluence of the Arkansas River and Walnut River in the southwestern part of the county. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 11,974. The n ...

.Boss-busters and Sin Hounds: Kansas City and Its Star by Hary Haskell - University of Missouri Press; 1 edition (October 5, 2007)
In 1975, the

Kansas State High School Activities Association The Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) is the organization which oversees interscholastic competition in the U.S. state of Kansas at the high school, high-school level. It oversees both athletic and non-athletic competition, ...

began the Oscar Stauffer Award, which each year honors a sports broadcaster and newspaper reporter for their outstanding coverage of high school athletics in the state. In 1982, Oscar died at the age of 95, and was buried at Mount Hope Cemetery in

Topeka, Kansas Topeka ( ; Kansa language, Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the Capital (political), capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the County seat, seat of Shawnee County, Kansas, Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the ...

References

External links

*
Photo of Oscar Stauffer

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stauffer, Oscar 1886 births 1982 deaths American newspaper publishers (people) American mass media owners Emporia High School alumni The Kansas City Star people People from Dickinson County, Kansas People from Peabody, Kansas University of Kansas alumni