Alfred Cowles Sr. (1832–1889) was an American businessperson and

newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as p ...

publisher Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

. During the 1860s to 1880s he was a bookkeeper,

treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury ...

, and business manager of the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...

'' of which he was part owner.

Biography

Alfred Cowles was born in

Mantua, Ohio Mantua ( ) is a village in northern Portage County, Ohio, United States, along the Cuyahoga River. The population was 1,001 at the time of the 2020 census. It is part of the Akron metropolitan area. It was formed from portions of Mantua Towns ...

on May 13, 1832. His parents were Edwin Weed and Almira Mills Cowles. Another son, Edwin Jr. (1825–1890), became publisher of '' The Cleveland Leader'' newspaper. Edwin married Elizabeth Hutchinson and had two sons: Alfred Hutchinson Cowles and Eugene Hutchinson Cowles (1855–1892). Alfred Cowles married Sarah Frances Hutchinson, who was born in 1837 in

Cayuga, New York Cayuga is a village in Cayuga County, New York, United States. The population was 549 at the 2010 census. The village derives its name from the indigenous Cayuga people and the lake named after them. The village of Cayuga is in the western part ...

. She was the daughter of Moseley and Elizabeth Hutchinson. They had four children: Edwin (1861–1861), Alfred Jr. (1865–1939), Sarah Frances (1862–1920), and William Hutchinson (1866–1947). William Hutchinson Cowles Sr., who was married to Harriet Bowen Cheney, became a newspaper publisher in

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Cana ...

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely foll ...

has a scholarship named for Sarah Frances Hutchinson Cowles, and the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...

may still have a fellowship named for her. Alfred Cowles died in Chicago on December 20, 1889. He is interred at

Oak Woods Cemetery Oak Woods Cemetery is a large lawn cemetery in Chicago, Illinois. Located at 1035 E. 67th Street, in the Greater Grand Crossing area of Chicago's South Side. Established on February 12, 1853, it covers . Oak Woods is the final resting place o ...

Notes

American newspaper chain founders 19th-century American newspaper publishers (people) Businesspeople from Chicago Businesspeople from Cleveland 1832 births 1889 deaths 19th-century American journalists Cowles family American male journalists 19th-century American male writers {{US-publish-bio-stub

Biography

See also

Notes