William Loeb III
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William Loeb III (December 26, 1905 – September 14, 1981) was publisher of the ''
Manchester Union Leader The ''New Hampshire Union Leader'' is a daily newspaper from Manchester, the largest city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. On Sundays, it publishes as the ''New Hampshire Sunday News.'' Founded in 1863, the paper was best known for the conse ...
'' newspaper (later ''The New Hampshire Union Leader'') in
Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
,
New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
, for thirty-five years from 1946 until his death. His unyieldingly
conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
political views helped to make ''The Union Leader'' one of the best-known small papers in the country. The publication benefited from nationwide attention every four years during the
New Hampshire primary The New Hampshire presidential primary is the first in a series of nationwide party primary elections and the second party contest (the first being the Iowa caucuses) held in the United States every four years as part of the process of choosi ...
.


Early years

Loeb was born on December 26, 1905, in
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, the son of Catharine/Katherine Wilhelmina (Dorr) and William Loeb Jr. (1866–1937). His parents were both of German descent. His father was executive secretary to
Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
, and a nationally known figure in his own day. Loeb's grandfather was William Loeb, I, a German immigrant. Loeb's siblings were Louisa Loeb-Neudorf, Amelia Olive Loeb and Lillian May Loeb. Young Loeb attended
The Hotchkiss School The Hotchkiss School is a coeducational preparatory school in Lakeville, Connecticut, United States. Hotchkiss is a member of the Eight Schools Association and Ten Schools Admissions Organization. It is also a former member of the G30 Schools gr ...
and
Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a col ...
, and soon met and married Elizabeth Nagy, a faculty member at nearby
Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smith (Smith College ...
. They were married on May 29, 1926. Nagy was eight years older than Loeb, and his parents objected to the matrimony. Loeb's father excluded him from his will in light of the marriage. The couple divorced six years later on October 11, 1932, and Loeb received alimony from Nagy for several years. Later in his life, Loeb made efforts to hide the marriage, and records of the divorce (Loeb v. Loeb F-3144) were found missing at the time they were to be archived on microfiche.


Career

Loeb partnered with his friend Charlie Weaver to buy the ''St. Albans Messenger'' in St. Albans, Vermont, in 1941 to enter the publishing arena. Loeb also received cash investments from a woman named Marka Loening, who indulged in an extramarital affair with Loeb while waiting for her divorce from her estranged husband to be finalized. Loeb later used funding from Loening to buy the ''Burlington Daily News'' in 1942. One of Loeb's first infamous journalistic exploits was the publishing of his own baptismal certificate on the front page of both Vermont papers in an attempt to disprove rumors of his Jewish ancestry. Loeb cited ulcers for his medical exemption from service during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, allegedly drinking large quantities of alcohol before doctor's visits to ensure flare-ups. In 1946, Loeb secured funding from Ridder Publications to buy the ''Manchester Union'' and the ''Evening Leader'' from Annie Reid Knox, the widow of former Navy Secretary William Franklin Knox. Mrs. Knox later regretted the sale, claiming she had not seen how Loeb handled his Vermont newspapers, and claiming that Loeb did not mention the involvement of the Ridder family. Loeb used $250,000 in funding from his mother's accounts to fund the purchase of his share in the papers, and in 1948 used an additional $300,000 to buy out other shareholders and gain complete control of the papers, which he then merged into the ''Union Leader''. In 1947, Loeb brought in investor Leonard Finder as a business partner in the paper. Marka Loening, increasingly resentful of the presence of Scripps-Howard heiress Elizabeth "Nackey" Scripps-Gallowhur in the newspaper offices, withdrew her interests in Loeb's papers that same year. Loeb's mother had been under the impression that he and Loening were to be married, but discovered upon Loening's departure that Loeb had been secretly married to Vermont resident Eleanore McAllister since 1942. Afterwards, Loeb publicly disclosed the marriage in his papers, but claimed it had taken place in 1947 and not 1942. Meanwhile, new competition emerged in Manchester with the return of Bernard J. "B.J." McQuaid, a former ''Manchester Union'' reporter under the tenure of Colonel Knox, from military service in Europe. McQuaid founded a rival paper, ''The New Hampshire Sunday News'', with his brother, Elias. Loeb quickly wooed Bernard McQuaid over to the ''Union Leader'', and bought the ''Sunday News'' outright in 1948. With no other statewide media (radio signals being blocked by mountains, and other papers only local to their towns), Loeb essentially gained a media monopoly in the state for himself. He tried, but failed, to win the license for the only television station licensed in the state,
WMUR-TV WMUR-TV (channel 9) is a television station licensed to Manchester, New Hampshire, United States, broadcasting ABC programming to most of New Hampshire. Owned by Hearst Television, the station maintains studios on South Commercial Street in dow ...
. Loeb's wife McAllister gave birth to a daughter, Katharine Penelope, on October 29, 1948. In 1949, Loeb used the additional $300,000 from his mother and cash from various state politicians he endorsed to buy out Leonard Finder. Also in 1949, Loeb founded the ''Vermont Sunday News'', largely a copy of the New Hampshire edition's content. On August 5, 1949, Loeb took Nackey Gallowhur to meet his mother in New York City. There, George Gallowhur, Nackey's husband, attempted to serve her divorce papers. Loeb refused to permit Gallowhur's agents from serving her, and he was jailed briefly for interfering. Gallowhur sued Loeb for alienation of affection in accordance with an old Vermont law. Mrs. Loeb, infuriated at her son's mistreatment of Eleanore, excluded Bill from her will and sued him for the one million dollars in funding he obtained from her to finance his acquisitions of the ''Union Leader'' in 1946 and 1949. Also in 1949, Loeb became the third president of
American China Policy Association The American China Policy Association (ACPA) was an anti-communist organization that supported the government of Republic of China, now commonly referred to as Taiwan, under Chiang Kai-shek. Origins On July 17, 1946, J. B. Powell, correspond ...
(ACPA), an
anti-communist Anti-communism is Political movement, political and Ideology, ideological opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in the Russian Empire, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, w ...
organization that supported the government of
Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...
under
Chiang Kai-shek Chiang Kai-shek (31 October 1887 – 5 April 1975), also known as Chiang Chung-cheng and Jiang Jieshi, was a Chinese Nationalist politician, revolutionary, and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China (ROC) from 1928 ...
.


Later life

Loeb continued to see Nackey. In 1949, he fired the print staff at his Vermont newspapers when they attempted to unionize. Nackey was initially placed in charge of printing, but the couple left the state in 1952 in the wake of his mother's lawsuit, and moved to
Reno Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the c ...
,
Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
, where Loeb sued for divorce from McAllister and then married Nackey Gallowhur. The Vermont papers flailed in the absence of Loeb's attention, and also suffered from negative reader and advertiser reaction to his opinionated absentee editorials. The ''Daily News'' ceased operations in 1959. Loeb did not visit the St. Albans paper offices again until 1973. In 1950, Loeb repeated his baptismal certificate stunt, this time on the ''Union Leader'' front page. He again hoped to dispel gossip about his Jewish heritage, this time in the wake of controversy surrounding his political endorsements. Loeb moved to Pride's Crossing outside Beverly,
Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...
, in 1955 to be closer to his New England newspaper operations. In 1957, he attempted to launch a paper in nearby Haverhill, the ''Haverhill Journal'', but the publication proved to be a drain on the staff and presses shared with his other newspapers. The ''Journal'' folded in 1965, and Loeb blamed union activity for the closure. During a newspaper strike in Boston, he imported copies of the ''Union Leader'' into the city, but stopped after incorrect sports information in the publication led to threats from figures in the city's crime world. Loeb purchased the rights to the ''Connecticut Sunday Herald'' name (but not its presses), and relaunched it from
Bridgeport Bridgeport is the most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the fifth-most populous in New England. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonnoc ...
,
Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
, but once again his editorial stances alienated readers, and the paper closed. Loeb's mother, Katherine Dorr-Loeb, died on November 24, 1966. Her will acknowledged Loeb's siblings, ex-wife Eleanore McAllister, and his daughter Katharine Penelope, but left him nothing. He filed suit, beginning a five-year legal battle that lasted through 1973 and rose to the Vermont Supreme Court, claiming that he had reconciled with his mother and that she had promised him 75 percent of her estate. He settled for less than 10 percent, after her estate had been drained of the bulk of its funds through his legal maneuvering. Loeb separated himself from Eleanore and Katharine Penelope. When his daughter suffered a near-fatal injury in an equestrian accident the next year and lost a kidney, Loeb refused to speak to her. Loeb's journalism résumé was the subject of skepticism in 1974, when he claimed in a front-page editorial to have worked for the Hearst conglomerate, as a reporter for the ''
New York World The ''New York World'' was a newspaper published in New York City from 1860 until 1931. The paper played a major role in the history of American newspapers. It was a leading national voice of the Democratic Party. From 1883 to 1911 under publi ...
'' for eight years before buying his St. Albans paper.
Hearst Corporation Hearst Communications, Inc., often referred to simply as Hearst, is an American multinational mass media and business information conglomerate based in Hearst Tower in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Hearst owns newspapers, magazines, televis ...
denied he had ever been employed there, and the ''World'' had actually ceased operations eight years before Loeb said he had started work there. ''Toledo Blade'' chairman Paul Block Jr. also denied ever seeing Loeb on the assignments he claimed to have worked. William Loeb died in 1981 and left control of the ''Union Leader'' to his wife, Nackey. She suffered partial paralysis in a 1977 automobile accident, but continued to publish the paper until her death in 2000, when control fell to Bernard McQuaid's son, Joseph McQuaid. The ''Union Leader'' now operates several weekly community papers under the Neighborhood News, Inc. name in southern New Hampshire, the ''New Hampshire Mirror'', a biweekly women's magazine, and th
NewHampshire.Com
website.


Legacy

On May 1, 2022, Loeb's stepdaughter accused him of sexually molesting her when she was 7 years old. ''The Union Leader'' denounced Loeb and removed his name from their masthead in response to the accusations. Loeb is best known for his unyielding conservatism. ''The Union Leader'' already tilted Republican editorially when he bought it, but veered sharply to the right after his purchase. Since then, the paper has been one of the most conservative newspapers in the nation. Loeb is best remembered nationally for his alleged role in attacking
Edmund Muskie Edmund Sixtus Muskie (March 28, 1914March 26, 1996) was an American statesman and political leader who served as the 58th United States Secretary of State under President Jimmy Carter, a United States Senator from Maine from 1959 to 1980, the 6 ...
through ''The Union Leader'' in what is known locally as the
Canuck letter The Canuck letter was a forged letter to the editor of the ''New Hampshire Union Leader, Manchester Union Leader'', published February 24, 1972, two weeks before the New Hampshire primary of the 1972 United States presidential election. It implie ...
, derailing the Maine senator's 1972 presidential bid. Loeb is said to have helped in the forgery and publication of the letter in the paper's op-ed section. The letter slandered French-Canadians, and implied Muskie was prejudiced against them. Muskie's emotional defense of himself in front of the ''Union Leader'' offices in Manchester was seen as a sign of weakness and instability. Muskie later claimed that there were not tears in his eyes, as many papers reported, but rather snowflakes (as it had been snowing that evening). Loeb also gained infamy in the 1970s for attacking then-governor
Walter R. Peterson Jr. Walter Rutherford Peterson Jr. (September 19, 1922 – June 1, 2011) was an American realtor, educator, and Republican politician from Peterborough, New Hampshire, who served in the New Hampshire House of Representatives and two terms as the 72n ...
's teenage daughter for allegedly advocating the use of
marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...
. She suffered an emotional breakdown as a result of the stress and public scrutiny thrust upon her in the wake of the allegations.''Time'' magazine,
Loeb Blow
, January 12, 1976
Loeb was instrumental in the victory of
Meldrim Thomson Jr. Meldrim Thomson Jr. (March 8, 1912 – April 19, 2001) was an American politician who served three terms as the 73rd governor of New Hampshire from 1973 to 1979. A Republican, he was known as a strong supporter of conservative political values. E ...
, in the next gubernatorial election, and remained a political ally of Thomson's until Loeb's death. William and Nackey had one daughter, Edith Roosevelt Loeb-Tomasko.Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications, Mission Statement Nackey and George Gallowhur had a daughter from their marriage, Nackey E. Gallowhur-Scagliotti.Nackey Scripps-Loeb Family Tree Both daughters operate the Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications. Author Kevin Cash published a biography of Loeb entitled ''Who the Hell IS William Loeb?'' in 1975. Loeb's legal threats forced Cash to create his own publishing company, incorporated in
Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...
, out of Loeb's reach. After four New Hampshire publishers balked at printing it, Cash had the book printed in Vermont. In New Hampshire, his major legacy is an anti-tax pledge that has been taken not only by all Republicans seeking gubernatorial nomination, but all Democrats who have successfully been elected. Loeb did not hesitate to castigate fellow Republicans, once writing: "This newspaper now solemnly charges that President Eisenhower has done more to destroy the respect, honor and power of the United States than any President in its history." ''(Editorial, "Prince Of Appeasement," June 23, 1955, referring to the Austrian Treaty that allowed the Soviet Union to continue influence over Austria.)'' Loeb also stood alone among conservatives in his staunch support for
Jimmy Hoffa James Riddle Hoffa (born February 14, 1913 – disappeared July 30, 1975; declared dead July 30, 1982) was an American labor union leader who served as the president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) from 1957 until 1971. F ...
, despite otherwise being a foe of labor.


References

*Gfroerer, John. ''Powerful as Truth: William Loeb and 35 Years of New Hampshire.'' Concord .H. Accompany Video, 2001. *Veblen, Eric. ''The Manchester Union Leader in New Hampshire Elections.'' New York: HarperCollins, 1975.


External links


BiographyNackey S. Loeb School of CommunicationsFamily Tree of Nackey Scripps Gallowhur Loeb
{{DEFAULTSORT:Loeb, William People from Manchester, New Hampshire Hotchkiss School alumni Williams College alumni 1905 births 1981 deaths New Hampshire Republicans Massachusetts Republicans Old Right (United States) Nevada Republicans 20th-century American newspaper publishers (people)