Charles Kenny McClatchy, better known as C. K. McClatchy (November 1, 1858 – April 27, 1936), was the editor of '' The Sacramento Bee'' and a founder of McClatchy Newspapers, the family-owned company that was forerunner to

The McClatchy Company The McClatchy Company, commonly referred to as simply McClatchy, is an American publishing company incorporated under Delaware's General Corporation Law and based in Sacramento, California. It operates 29 daily newspapers in fourteen states an ...

. McClatchy attended Santa Clara University, where he earned a Masters of Arts in 1901.University of Santa Clara (corporate authorship) (1912). ''University of Santa Clara: A History, From the Founding of Santa Clara Mission in 1777 to the beginning of the University in 1912''. Santa Clara: University Press He took over the

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

paper upon the death of his father, James McClatchy, and led it into the 20th century, continuing the newspaper's battles for labor rights; against the abuses of big mining, the railroads, and corrupt government; and fiercely defending a publication's right to editorial freedom. He was instrumental in the founding of ''

The Fresno Bee ''The Fresno Bee'' is a daily newspaper serving Fresno, California, and surrounding counties in that U.S. state's central San Joaquin Valley. It is owned by The McClatchy Company and ranks fourth in circulation among the company's newspapers. ...

'' in 1922 and the establishment of ''

The Modesto Bee ''The Modesto Bee'' is a California newspaper, founded in 1884 as the ''Daily Evening News'' and published continuously as a daily under a variety of names. Before its purchase by Charles K. McClatchy and McClatchy Newspapers in 1924, it merged ...

'' with its purchase in 1924. McClatchy also owned

KFBK (AM) KFBK (1530 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station in Sacramento, California. It is simulcast on KFBK-FM 93.1 MHz. KFBK-AM-FM air a news- talk radio format and are owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The studios and offices are on River Park Drive ...

, an AM radio station in Sacramento. McClatchy had a problem with alcoholism. For a month near the end of McClatchy's life, Ralph Berry Kelley, trained nurse, graduate of Bowdoin College in Maine, and about one generation younger than McClatchy, cared for McClatchy. McClatchy made good progress during that month, so the McClatchy family released Kelley from his service to McClatchy. McClatchy reverted to alcohol and died about one month later. His son, Carlos, who had been groomed to take over the business, died in 1933; McClatchy then turned to his daughter,

Eleanor Eleanor () is a feminine given name, originally from an Old French adaptation of the Old Provençal name ''Aliénor''. It is the name of a number of women of royalty and nobility in western Europe during the High Middle Ages. The name was introd ...

, who after his death became president of the McClatchy Company and led it for the next forty years. Carlos's son Charles later served as president of McClatchy Newspapers between 1979 and 1989.

C.K. McClatchy High School C. K. McClatchy High School, also known as simply McClatchy High School, is a high school in the Sacramento City Unified School District. It is located in the Land Park area of Sacramento, California. Established in 1937, it is the oldest oper ...

in Sacramento, which opened in 1937 about a year after his death, was named in honor of McClatchy.

References

External links

The California Newspaper Hall of Fame

"C. K. McClatchy"
Media Museum of Northern California {{DEFAULTSORT:McClatchy, Charles Kenny American publishers (people) American male journalists Journalists from California Businesspeople from Sacramento, California 1858 births 1936 deaths McClatchy people Santa Clara University alumni