Stone, Melville Elijah, 1848-1929

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Melville Elijah Stone was born in Hudson, Illinois on August 22, 1848. His father, Reverend Elijah Stone, was a Methodist minister, and his mother was Sophia Creighton. In 1860, the family moved to Chicago where Stone attended high school and began his journalism career. From 1864 to 1875, Stone held various journalistic positions, working at different times as a reporter, correspondent, editor, and publisher for various Chicago newspapers. During some of these years Stone was the proprietor of an iron foundry that was destroyed by the 1871 Chicago fire, and he studied law. On November 25, 1869, he married Martha J. McFarland. On Christmas day, 1875 Stone founded the Chicago Daily News, the original Chicago penny daily, which was well received - within a week the paper had to turn down advertisers because of lack of space. Soon after, Stone became associated with Victor F. Lawson, who contributed capital to the venture and became publisher of the paper while Stone retained editorship. In 1888, Stone sold his interests in the Chicago Daily News to Lawson and set off to travel with his family in Europe for several years. In 1890, Stone returned to Chicago, becoming vice-president and then president of Globe National Bank. He held this position until 1898 when he consolidated the bank with the Continental Bank of Chicago. During this time Stone was elected treasurer of Chicago Sanitary Department drainage board. In 1893, Stone became the general manager of the Associated Press of Illinois, which later became the national association, the Associated Press, in New York after absorbing the United Press. Stone extended the foreign service of the Associated Press by established bureaus in the European capitals and speaking with foreign heads of state to secure adequate news and telegraphic facilities and services, even convincing the Czar of Russia to abolish censorship of the foreign press. Stone resigned from the AP in 1918, after 25 years of service. Until his death in February, 1929, he held the honorary position of counselor to the association. Stone penned an autobiography in 1921, entitled, "Fifty Years a Journalist." Stone was survived by his wife Martha McFarland Stone and daughter, Elizabeth Creighton Stone. Stone was predeceased by his two sons: Herbert Stuart Stone died in 1915 when the Lusitania was sunk by German torpedoes and Melville E. Stone Jr. died of tuberculosis in 1917.

From the description of Melville E. Stone papers, 1815-1954, bulk 1890-1929. (Newberry Library). WorldCat record id: 462090228

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
referencedIn Arthur Willert papers, 1907-1973 Yale University. Department of Manuscripts and Archives
creatorOf Knox College (Galesburg, Ill.). [Honorary degrees series] / [Knox College, Galesburg, Ill.]. Knox College, Seymour Library
referencedIn Hood, Edwin Milton, 1858-1923. Papers of Edwin Milton Hood, 1868-1963. Library of Congress
creatorOf Schilling, George Adam, 1850-1938. Papers, 1879-1924. University of Michigan
referencedIn Howe, E. W. (Edgar Watson), 1853-1937. Edgar Watson Howe papers, 1872-1960 Houghton Library
referencedIn Oswald Garrison Villard papers Houghton Library
creatorOf Lawson, Victor Freemont, 1850-1925. Victor Lawson papers, ca. 1860-1931, bulk 1885-1925. Newberry Library
creatorOf Coolidge, Calvin, 1872-1933. TLS, 1928 May 31 : to Melville E. Stone / New York. Copley Press, J S Copley Library
creatorOf Stone, Melville Elijah, 1848-1929,. Typed letter signed from Melville E. Stone, New York, to Daniel Frohman, New York [manuscript], 1916 March 6. Folger Shakespeare Library
creatorOf Schilling, George A., b. 1850. George Schilling papers, 1879-1924. University of Michigan
referencedIn Handy, Moses P. (Moses Purnell), 1847-1898. M. P. Handy letter to S. S. McClure [manuscript], 1893 February 3. University of Virginia. Library
creatorOf Stone, Melville Elijah, 1848-1929. Papers of Melville Elijah Stone, 1821-1984, (bulk 1926-1929). University of Virginia. Library
referencedIn Carter Godwin Woodson Papers, 1736-1974, (bulk 1915-1950) Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
creatorOf Stone, Melville Elijah, 1848-1929,. Typed letter signed from Melville E. Stone, Chicago, to John Foord, Chicago [manuscript], 1893 August 23. Folger Shakespeare Library
creatorOf Stone, Melville Elijah, 1848-1929. Letter to S.S. McClure, 1893 June 30. University of Virginia. Library
referencedIn Somerville, E. Œ. (Edith Œnone), 1858-1949. E. Œ. Somerville collection, 1935-1984. Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library
referencedIn Fosdick, Harry Emerson, 1878-1969. Prayer delivered at the funeral service of Melville E. Stone, February 18, 1929, 1929 / Harry Emerson Fosdick ; illuminated by Dorothy Dent, N.Y.C. Newberry Library
referencedIn Somerville, E. Œ. (Edith Œnone), 1858-1949. E. Œ. Somerville Collection, 1935-1984. Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library
creatorOf Stone, Melville Elijah, 1848-1929. Melville E. Stone papers, 1815-1954, bulk 1890-1929. Newberry Library
referencedIn Houghton Mifflin Company correspondence and records, 1832-1944. Houghton Library
referencedIn Willert, Arthur, Sir, 1882-1973. Arthur Willert papers, 1907-1973 (inclusive). Yale University Library
referencedIn Century Company records New York Public Library. Manuscripts and Archives Division
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
employeeOf Associated Press. corporateBody
associatedWith Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893 person
correspondedWith Century Company corporateBody
founderOf Chicago Daily News, Inc. corporateBody
associatedWith Clemens, Samuel Langhorne, 1835-1910. person
associatedWith Coolidge, Calvin, 1872-1933. person
associatedWith Crane, William H., 1845-1928. person
associatedWith Debs, Eugene V. (Eugene Victor), 1855-1926. person
correspondedWith Dellenbaugh, Frederick Samuel, 1853-1935 person
associatedWith Field, Eugene, 1850-1895. person
associatedWith Field, Kate, 1838-1896. person
correspondedWith Foord, John, 1842-1922 person
associatedWith Fosdick, Harry Emerson, 1878-1969. person
associatedWith Frewen, Moreton, 1853-1924. person
correspondedWith Frohman, Daniel, 1851-1940 person
associatedWith Garland, Hamlin, 1860-1940. person
associatedWith Gray, Mark, b. 1855 or 6 person
associatedWith Handy, Moses P. (Moses Purnell), 1847-1898. person
associatedWith Harrison, Carter H. (Carter Henry), 1825-1893. person
associatedWith Hood, Edwin Milton, 1858-1923. person
correspondedWith Houghton Mifflin Company. corporateBody
correspondedWith Howe, E. W. (Edgar Watson), 1853-1937 person
associatedWith Knox College (Galesburg, Ill.) corporateBody
associatedWith Lawson, Victor Freemont, 1850-1925. person
associatedWith Lusitania (Steamship) corporateBody
associatedWith Markey, Morris. person
associatedWith McClure, S. S. (Samuel Sidney), 1857-1949, person
associatedWith McVicker, James Hubert, 1822-1896 person
associatedWith Midwest Manuscript Collection (Newberry Library) corporateBody
associatedWith Newberry Library. corporateBody
associatedWith Noyes, Frank B. (Frank Brett), 1863-1948. person
associatedWith Nye, Bill, 1850-1896. person
associatedWith Peary, Robert E. (Robert Edwin), 1856-1920. person
associatedWith Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919. person
associatedWith Russell, Sol Smith, 1848-1902. person
associatedWith Schilling, George A., b. 1850. person
associatedWith Schilling, George Adam, 1850-1938. person
associatedWith Somerville, E. Œ. (Edith Œnone), 1858-1949. person
associatedWith Stead, W. T. (William Thomas), 1849-1912. person
correspondedWith Stone family family
associatedWith Stone, Herbert Stuart, 1871-1915. person
associatedWith Stone, Melville E., b. 1875. person
associatedWith Taft, William H. (William Howard), 1857-1930. person
associatedWith Vedder, Elihu, 1836-1923. person
correspondedWith Villard, Oswald Garrison, 1872-1949 person
associatedWith Willert, Arthur, Sir, 1882-1973. person
associatedWith Winter, William, 1836-1917 person
associatedWith Woodson, Carter Godwin, 1875-1950 person
Place Name Admin Code Country
Hudson IL US
Chicago IL US
New York NY US
Subject
Cockfighting
Foreign correspondents
Foreign news
Game fowl
Husband and wife
Journalism
Journalists
Manuscripts, American
News agencies
Newspaper editors
Newspaper publishing
Newspapers
Parent and child
Syndicates (Journalism)
Occupation
Journalists
Newspapermen
Activity

Person

Birth 1848-08-22

Death 1929-02-15

English

Information

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Ark ID: w6262779

SNAC ID: 83692863