Victor Hugo Morgan (December 25, 1879 – October 2, 1946) was an American journalist and editor for '' the Akron Press'', ''

Cincinnati Post ''The Cincinnati Post'' was an afternoon daily newspaper published in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. In Northern Kentucky, it was bundled inside a local edition called ''The Kentucky Post''. The ''Post'' was a founding publication and onetime f ...

'' and ''

Cleveland Press The ''Cleveland Press'' was a daily American newspaper published in Cleveland, Ohio from November 2, 1878, through June 17, 1982. From 1928 to 1966, the paper's editor was Louis B. Seltzer. Known for many years as one of the country's most in ...

''; owner and editor of '' The Clearwater Sun''; editor-in-chief for the

Scripps-Howard Newspapers The E. W. Scripps Company is an American broadcasting company founded in 1878 as a chain of daily newspapers by Edward Willis "E. W." Scripps and his sister, Ellen Browning Scripps. It was also formerly a media conglomerate. The company is he ...

Early life and education

Morgan was born in

Massillon Jean-Baptiste Massillon, CO (24 June 1663, Hyères – 28 September 1742, Beauregard-l'Évêque), was a French Catholic prelate and famous preacher who served as Bishop of Clermont from 1717 until his death. Biography Early years Massillon wa ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, in the family of John Morgan, mining engineer, and Anna Davies Morgan. Morgan studied law at the

Cleveland Law school Cleveland State University College of Law is the law school of Cleveland State University, a public research university in Cleveland, Ohio. The school traces its origins to Cleveland Law School (founded in 1897), which merged in 1946 with the John ...

. In 1902 Morgan travelled to France where he studied international law at the University of Marseilles.

Career

Morgan served as U.S. vice consul in Marseilles from 1903 to 1906. After his return to the U.S., Morgan worked as editor for the ''Massillon Independent'' and stayed with the newspaper for five years.

Scripps Newspapers

After ''Massillon Independent'', Morgan moved to Ohio and started his career with the Scripps Newspapers. He worked as an editor at '' the Akron Press'', ''

'' (editor in 1914–1915, replaced Harry Brown), ''

'' (editor in 1915–1921).

War correspondent

During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Morgan served as a war correspondent for the Scripps newspapers. A series of Morgans' accounts of conditions in France and Germany were published in the ''Cleveland Press''. He was assigned to the American front in France during 1917–1918. In Europe Morgan was accompanied by his wife

Beatrice Burton Morgan Beatrice Burton (1894–1983), also known as Beatrice Burton Morgan, was a writer of popular fiction active in the early decades of the 20th century. Burton also had a short career as an actress and later became a newspaper editor with her husban ...

. Burton Morgan also worked as a journalist and was recognised as 'an accomplished newspaper woman'. For instance, Burton Morgan reported on the conditions and innovations of French cooking during the war. Morgan's reports on Germany were not positive. He stated that the Germans did not deny their war atrocities that were blamed on them because they wanted them to be publicised. In May 1918, after returning from Europe, Morgan delivered a speech titled "Journalism Over There" at the University of Missouri's annual journalism week. He emphasised the critical role of American journalism in winning the war by countering German propaganda and promoting pro-war measures. Morgan highlighted that the French public had become immune to Germany's insidious propaganda. He lamented the strict and sometimes unreasonable censorship imposed on war correspondents, which prevented them from providing the American people with comprehensive news coverage. He found it absurd that American citizens often received news about the American front from German sources.

Scripps-Howard Newspapers

In March 1921 Morgan was appointed editor-in-chief of the Ohio group of the Scripps-McRae Newspapers (from 1922 renamed as the Scripps-Howard Newspapers) and stayed with the company until 1928.

''The Clearwater Sun''

After 17 years with the Scripps-Howard Newspapers, Morgan moved to Florida. The decision to relocate to Florida with his family was caused by his health. In 1928 Morgan purchased '' The Clearwater Sun'' and became its editor.

Personal life

Morgan married writer and actress Beatrice Burton on November 8, 1916. Between 1918 and 1922 they had three children: Virginia, Victor, and Victoria.

Death

After a few years of illness, Morgan died in Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater, Florida on October 2, 1946.'Victor Morgan, Publisher of Clearwater Sun, Dies', ''Tampa Bay Times'', October 2, 1946, p. 13.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morgan, Victor H. 1879 births 1946 deaths American newspaper editors American journalists American foreign correspondents