The Newspaper Barons: A Biography Of The Scripps Family
PATRICIA SCHAELCHLIN

The Scripps’ far-reaching presence in San Diego, Detroit, Cincinnati, and beyond is synonymous with great wealth, philanthropy, and influence yet The Newspaper Barons also reveals an icon torn by continuing family conflicts and demands.

The legacy as we know it gained its roots in 1844 when James Mogg Scripps, a failed bookbinder in London, England, sailed to this country with his six children. Through three wives and thirteen children, he established a generation that would later indelibly shape a contemporary world.

Among his offspring was James Edmund, the oldest son and brilliant wellspring who established the fortunes of the family; Edward Wyllis, a brilliant strategist who further built a publishing empire at great cost to his personal life; Ellen, a San Diego luminary known as an introverted strategist and constant family peacemaker often tested to capacity by sibling demands.

All told The Newspaper Barons, published in association with the San Diego Historical Society, weaves together the story of a family whose place in history continues to enhance our own lives.

PATRICIA SCHAELCHLIN spent twelve years researching this biography. Her previous books include The Little Clubhouse on Steamship Wharf 1888-1983 and La Jolla, The Story of a Community 1887-1987.