James McClatchy (1824–1883) was an American newspaper
editor. He was the second editor of ''
The Sacramento Bee'', which grew into
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 ...
, taking over just days after the newspaper began publication as ''The Daily Bee'' in February 1857.
Life and career
Born in 1824 in Ireland, McClatchy was a young journalist on the editorial staff of
Horace Greeley’s New York Tribune in 1848, when news of a gold strike on Northern California's
American River
, name_etymology =
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, image_caption = The American River at Folsom
, map = Americanrivermap.png
, map_size = 300
, map_caption ...
reached the East. Taking the advice of his employer, who famously declared "Go west, young man," McClatchy went west.
After an arduous journey that included a shipwreck in Baja California, McClatchy reached the gold fields of the
Sierra Nevada. His short-lived endeavor at mining, however, brought him no wealth.
He married Charlotte Maria McCormick (1829–1916) and had at least four children: Fannie, Emily Estelle,
Charles Kenny
Charles Francis Kenny (June 23, 1898 – January 20, 1992) was an American composer, lyricist, author, and violinist. His hit songs include "There's a Gold Mine in the Sky", "Love Letters in the Sand", "Laughing at Life", and "Because It's Your ...
and Valentine Stuart McClatchy.
Returning to journalism, he took a position in the summer of 1849 with the ''Placer Times'', which was published at
Sutter's Fort, the settlement that gave rise to the river port town of
Sacramento, California
)
, image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg
, mapsize = 250x200px
, map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...
. As an editorialist, McClatchy developed a reputation as a people's champion after he took a stand against land speculators in what would evolve into the 1850
Squatters' Riot.
By fall of the next year, McClatchy was editing his own ''Settlers and Miners Tribune'', which survived only a few weeks. He moved on to work for the ''Sacramento Transcript'', the ''Democratic State Journal'' and the ''Sacramento Times'' before joining founder
Rollin Ridge
John Rollin Ridge (Cherokee name: Cheesquatalawny, or Yellow Bird, March 19, 1827 – October 5, 1867), a member of the Cherokee Nation, is considered the first Native American novelist. After moving to California in 1850, he began to write ...
at the fledgling ''Sacramento Bee''. Less than a week after the new paper appeared in 1857, McClatchy had become its editor. That same week, ''The Bee'' reported a scandal that led to the impeachment of California State Treasurer
Henry Bates.
Known as a supporter of the people's interests against those of corporations and corrupt politicians, McClatchy made ''The Bee'' a bastion of progressive reformism. Upon his death in 1883, the paper's leadership passed to James's sons, Charles and Valentine.
External links
The California Newspaper Hall of Fame
{{DEFAULTSORT:McClatchy, James
1824 births
1883 deaths
McClatchy people
19th-century American newspaper publishers (people)
19th-century American journalists
American male journalists
19th-century American male writers