Gardner Cowles Sr. (1861–1946) was an American banker, publisher, and politician. He was the owner of ''

The Des Moines Register ''The Des Moines Register'' is the daily morning newspaper of Des Moines, Iowa. History Early period The first newspaper in Des Moines was the ''Iowa Star''. In July 1849, Barlow Granger began the paper in an abandoned log cabin by the junction ...

'' and the ''

Des Moines Tribune ''The Des Moines Tribune'' was a daily afternoon newspaper published in Des Moines, Iowa. It was founded in 1906 and purchased in 1908 by the Cowles family, which owned the ''Des Moines Register ''The Des Moines Register'' is the daily mornin ...

''.

Biography

Cowles father was a descendant of Hannah Bushoup (c. 1613–1683) of Hartford, Connecticut, and John Cowles (1598–1675) of

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. His father William Fletcher Cowles was a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...

minister; his mother Maria Elizabeth LaMonte was a widow with three prior children. Gardner had a younger brother named LaMonte."Gardner Cowles Sr."
Cowles Family Publishing Legacy: Drake University, Cowles Library. Accessed Jan. 18, 2018. After graduating from college, Cowles settled in

Algona, Iowa Algona is the county seat of Kossuth County, Iowa, Kossuth County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,487 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Ambrose A. Call State Park is located two miles southwest of the city. History Algona ...

, becoming superintendent of schools there and acquiring partial ownership of the ''Algona Republican'' newspaper. Becoming a businessman, he was a stockholder and officer in ten area Iowa banks and also a large-scale farmer. Cowles served as 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 ...

in the

Iowa General Assembly The Iowa General Assembly is the legislative branch of the state government of Iowa. Like the federal United States Congress, the General Assembly is a bicameral body, composed of the upper house Iowa Senate and the lower Iowa House of ...

from 1899 to 1903 as representative from Kossuth County. In 1903, he and Harvey Ingham purchased the Des Moines ''Register and Leader''; the name became ''

'' in 1915. Moving to Des Moines, Cowles also acquired the ''

'' in 1908. (''The Tribune'', which merged with the rival ''Des Moines News'' in 1924 and the ''Des Moines Capital'' reviously also acquired by Cowlesref name=annals /> in 1927, served as the evening paper for the Des Moines area until it ended publication on September 25, 1982.) Under the ownership of the Cowles family, the ''Register'' became Iowa's largest and most influential newspaper, eventually adopting the slogan "The Newspaper Iowa Depends Upon." Newspapers were distributed to all four corners of the state by train and later by truck as Iowa's highway system was improving. Cowles was a delegate to the 1916 Republican National Convention.Herbert Strentz
"Gardner Cowles Sr."
Cowles Family Publishing Legacy, Drake University (accessed 2009-03-08). In 1932 he served in the administration of President

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was an American politician who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 and a member of the Republican Party, holding office during the onset of the Gr ...

. He was an advocate of progressive Republicanism.William B. Friedricks, "Covering Iowa: The History of the Des Moines Register and Tribune Company, 1849-1985," pp. 40-44 (Blackwell Pub. 2000), . Before his death he established the Gardner Cowles Foundation to support Iowa colleges and charities; one of his gifts was a library building at

Drake University Drake University is a private university in Des Moines, Iowa. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, including professional programs in business, law, and pharmacy. Drake's law school is among the 25 oldest in the United States. His ...

. Cowles' oldest son Russell was a well-known landscape painter;"Russell Cowles at 92; Painter of Landscapes In the Lyrical Manner,"
''NEW YORK TIMES'' (FEB. 23, 1979). his sons

John Cowles Sr. John Cowles Sr. (December 14, 1898 – February 25, 1983) was an American newspaper and magazine publisher. He was co-owner of the Cowles Media Company, whose assets included the ''Minneapolis Star'', the '' Minneapolis Tribune'', the ''Des Moin ...

and Gardner "Mike" Cowles Jr. co-founded '' Look'' magazine and ran the

Cowles Media Company Cowles Media Company ( ) (1935–1998) was a newspaper, magazine and information publishing company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota in the United States. The company operated Cowles Business Media, Cowles Creative Publishing, and Cowles Ent ...

(established in 1935).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cowles, Gardner Sr. American publishers (people) 1861 births 1946 deaths Cowles family 20th-century American newspaper publishers (people) Businesspeople from Iowa