William Edward Dargie (March 13, 1854 – February 10, 1911) was an American newspaper publisher and politician.

Biography

Born in

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " 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 fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

, to John and Eliza G. Dargie. He graduated from Union Grammar School, one year he attended San Francisco High School. In 1867, Dargie, secured the position of bill clerk with the wholesale wood firm of Armes & Dallam. Dargie became an apprentice in the printer's trade at the ''San Francisco Bulletin'', becoming a member of the

International Typographical Union The International Typographical Union (ITU) was a US trade union for the printing trade for newspapers and other media. It was founded on May 3, 1852, in the United States as the National Typographical Union, and changed its name to the Interna ...

's, San Francisco Local # 21. As a

journeyman A journeyman, journeywoman, or journeyperson is a worker, skilled in a given building trade or craft, who has successfully completed an official apprenticeship qualification. Journeymen are considered competent and authorized to work in that fie ...

printer, Dargie learned all the operations and jobs in the composing room. He was transferred to the editorial department as a reporter for the ''Bulletin''.

Career

;''Oakland Tribune'' In 1875, Dargie decided to better his education and entered the new

University of California at Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant univ ...

. He continued to work as a reporter for the ''San Francisco Bulletin''. Dargie's salary from the ''Bulletin'' paid his university expenses. After his freshman year at the university, Dargie purchased controlling interest in the

Oakland Tribune The ''Oakland Tribune'' is a weekly newspaper published in Oakland, California, by the Bay Area News Group (BANG), a subsidiary of MediaNews Group. Founded in 1874, the ''Tribune'' rose to become an influential daily newspaper. With the declin ...

with a loan from A. K. P. (Albion Keith Paris) Harmon. On July 24, 1876, Dargie became the manager of the newspaper. He envisioned that

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...

and

Alameda County Alameda County ( ) is a List of counties in California, county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 1,682,353, making it the 7th-most populous county in the state and List ...

would grow in the future and that the ''Oakland Tribune'' would be the major newspaper to serve the new populace. Using his knowledge from the composing room and editorial department, Dargie made the ''Tribune'' a newspaper of credibility. He hired an excellent staff and purchased the latest presses and linotype machines. ; Politics On February 27, 1883, President

Chester A. Arthur Chester Alan Arthur (October 5, 1829 – November 18, 1886) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 21st president of the United States from 1881 to 1885. He previously served as the 20th vice president under President James A ...

appointed Dargie, a

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 ...

, to the post of

Postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...

of Oakland. When his term as postmaster ended in 1888, Dargie ran for the

California State Senate The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature, the lower house being the California State Assembly. The State Senate convenes, along with the State Assembly, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento, Cal ...

for the 17th district. He represented

in the California State Senate from 1889 to 1891. During his political career, Dargie continued as publisher of the ''Oakland Tribune''.

Personal life

On December 15, 1881, Dargie married Hermina Peralta at

San Leandro San Leandro (Spanish for " St. Leander") is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is located in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area; between Oakland to the northwest, and Ashland, Castro Valley, and Hayward to the sout ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

in the home of the bride's father Miguel Peralta. The couple's daughter died at birth, their son, William Edward Dargie, Jr. died at age 20. Dargie died in

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

from the effects of a nervous breakdown and stroke. The California State Senate adjourned in honor of William E. Dargie. State Senator John W. Stetson of Alameda County praised the work of William E. Dargie. His widow, Hermina would be involved in a long legal battle over the purchase of the ''Oakland Tribune'' with former

U.S. Congressman The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

Joseph R. Knowland. The Peralta-Dargie Family have two large burial plots one located at Saint Mary Cemetery, and another at Mountain View Cemetery, both in Oakland.

Memberships

* Mason, A. F & A. M. * Athenian and Nile Clubs * Union Club * Family Club * Press Club of San Francisco

References

*Wood, M.W. ''History of Alameda County California''. Oakland : M.W. Wood, 1883. *Baker, Joseph Eugene. ''Past and Present of Alameda County California''. Chicago: S.J. Clarke Company, 1914. *Conmy, Peter T. ''The Beginnings of Oakland, California, A.U.C.'' Oakland: Oakland Public Library, 1961.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dargie, William E. 1854 births 1911 deaths Politicians from San Francisco Oakland Tribune people Republican Party California state senators 19th-century American newspaper publishers (people) Publishers from California Burials at Mountain View Cemetery (Oakland, California) 19th-century American politicians