Otis Chandler was born on July 4, 1919. Chandler always denied any conflict of interest, and he invariably emerged from these controversies with his reputation for personal integrity intact. Typically, Chandler would offer gentle advice, Carroll said, but never try to dictate what the new management should do with the paper. He was initially miserable; the other students all seemed richer, better-educated and more sophisticated. The change that ignited the biggest debate was Willes announced intention to blow up, with a bazooka, if necessary, the wall that had traditionally separated and insulated the newsroom of the paper from the business department to avoid conflicts of interest. I like living on the edge, he said in a 1999 interview, five months after his 71st birthday and two weeks after he suffered minor head injuries when he spun out in one of his Ferraris near the vintage-car and wildlife museum he owned in Oxnard. He was airlifted to a hospital. When I asked what he did, he just said, I work at The Times,. Thomas recalled. They saw the sinister hand of communism behind such government initiatives as fluoridation of the water supply and integration of the schools. They would race their cars down the Pasadena Freeway at 140 mph in the predawn hours en route to weightlifting sessions at the Times gym and double cheeseburgers at Tommys, just west of downtown. Thats when I decided this was the business for me.. At the age of 8, Chandler was thrown to the ground during a horseback riding lesson. Thomas was largely responsible for the great length and literary style of many Times stories qualities for which the paper became both celebrated and criticized. It was at Watkins Glen that Chandler got to know Bettina Whitaker, who was an executive at Shakeys International, a sponsor of his Watkins Glen car. By 1962, Palmer was gone and the gubernatorial race between Brown and Richard Nixon was covered primarily by two new reporters: Richard Bergholz, who had come from the Mirror, and Carl Greenberg, from Hearsts Los Angeles Examiner. Surely, Chandler was the only publisher of his or any generation to have been profiled not only in Time, Newsweek and Editor & Publisher but in such magazines as Road & Track, Strength and Health, and Safari Club and to be depicted on the cover of the Atlantic Monthly in his bathing suit, riding a surfboard made of newspapers through the curl of a massive whitecap of dollar bills. Chandler told his wife he wanted a divorce while the two were on vacation in Montana in 1978. Not only did it not, as a rule, endorse Democrats for elective office; it didnt cover their campaigns. Although Chandler had previously been insistent that his criticisms of the business strategies pursued by Times management remain private, this undermining of the papers editorial integrity stirred him to action. Bureaus opened in Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, Mexico City, Hong Kong, Rome, Bonn, London, Vienna and San Francisco, at the United Nations and on Wall Street. As a weightlifter, Chandler finished third in the nation competing in the heavyweight division. Chandlers wife, Bettina, was with him. Its too big, its too stuffy. When photographed for the cover of the literary magazine Atlantic Monthly he was depicted on a surfboard crafted from newspapers across a wave of dollar bills. Some close to the family and the paper suggest that it might have been Mrs. Chandler who asked the board members to pressure her husband to step aside as publisher so he could devote his full attention to his chairmanship of the parent Times Mirror company, which was about to embark on a major diversification program. Despite the enormous difference in their socioeconomic status, the two remained close friends for more than 30 years. Even Chandler said some of those long stories made the paper seem gray, somewhat dull at times. The city editor, who had been hired during Chandlers heyday as publisher, said he felt an obligation to carry out his former boss wishes. Nearly a decade after his divorce, he installed the best of his animals in dioramas amid the classic cars and motorcycles in his Oxnard museum. It may sound strange for a Chandler to say this, he said in one such conversation, but I dont think my family and the other people running the company are looking ahead enough to the Internet and other new media. The GeoTek debacle helped greatly exacerbate the colon problem. Chandler was just then becoming interested in big game hunting, and his approach to hiring was much the same: only go after the biggest and the best. They wanted to impeach Earl Warren, chief justice of the United States. In 1999 almost 20 years after he left the publishers office and with no official ties to the paper anymore its standing in the national journalistic firmament was still so important to him that he emerged from a largely self-imposed exile and issued a strong denunciation of top Times and Times Mirror executives. "No publisher in America improved a paper so quickly on so grand a scale, took a paper that was marginal in qualities and brought it to excellence as Otis Chandler did," journalist David Halberstam wrote in his history of the company. By the time Thomas became editor in 1971, many of the major changes had been made, resistance had greatly diminished and Chandler was stepping back to take a broader view. He was bold in making changes and investments in the paper that transformed The Times into a world-class news organization., Otis was a giant in every way, said Donald Graham, chief executive officer and chairman of the board of the Washington Post Co. The paper you are reading is his monument. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Atonio Mafi draft diary: Mental health should be a priority, even in football culture, Roundtable: Our March Madness projections for UCLA, USC and others, Elliott: Kings trade Jonathan Quick, a legendary goaltender who couldnt make time stand still, Left-handed pitchers offer gold-like value for high school teams, Before and after photos from space show storms effect on California reservoirs, 19 cafes that make L.A. a world-class coffee destination, Dramatic before and after photos from space show epic snow blanketing SoCal mountains, Shocking, impossible gas bills push restaurants to the brink of closures. He hunted. On March 5, 1980, Chandler announced that Johnson would become the fifth publisher of The Times and the first since the papers infancy who was not a member of the Otis or Chandler families. Shaw, The Times longtime media critic, filed a draft of this obituary before his death Aug. 1. Chandler retired as publisher in 1980 at the age of 52 to become chairman of Times Mirror, reducing his involvement in the day-to-day operations of the company. With the Mirror still losing money, it had been Chandler who wanted it closed, and his father had reluctantly concurred. Most historians credit Otis mother Buff to her friends and family with persuading her husband to make their son his successor. Chandler was growing weary, worn down by the rigors of work and the burdens of responsibility, dispirited by GeoTek and his failing marriage, getting by mostly on nervous energy, with big circles under my eyes, he later said. The most traumatic experience of Chandlers childhood one that assumed mythic proportions as he grew toward adulthood came when he was 8. But when Williams, the editor, suggested that the paper look into the organization anyway, both Otis and Norman Chandler gave him the go-ahead. But it was fitting that his departure was so surprising to so many, for he had long been something of an enigma to his fellow publishers. [1] The only other possible publisher in the family, however, was Normans younger brother Philip, then general manager of The Times and a member of the Times Mirror board. This coincided with the shift of the paper's editorial stance from overtly conservative to independent. In a controversial 1996 story in Vanity Fair, Chandler was quoted as criticizing his relatives as coupon clippers elitists bored with the problems of AIDS and the homeless and drive-by shootings. They wished The Times wouldnt cover those issues, and they werent interested in either the papers editorial quality or its social responsibility, he said. The decision stunned the staff and outside observers, many of whom expected him to serve much longer. He entered a six-hour endurance race in Watkins Glen, N.Y., teamed with John Thomas, his motorcycle buddy and Porsche mechanic, who had long raced cars himself. That article deeply wounded some of the 160-odd descendants of Otis grandfather, family patriarch Harry Chandler. One had only to visit the mens room in his car and wildlife museum its walls covered with posters of scantily clad women draped over shiny sports cars to realize that his ultra-masculinity wasnt limited to guns, barbells, fast cars and motorcycles. He accused Willes and Downing of misusing and abusing the newsroom staff, of unbelievably stupid and unprofessional handling of the Staples special section and of perpetrating a scandal and a fiasco that posed the most serious single threat to the future survival and growth of this great newspaper during my more than 50 years of being associated with The Times., This was, he said, probably the single most devastating period in the history of this great newspaper. [1], A sprained wrist kept him from competing as a shot putter for the United States in the 1952 Summer Olympics. Also, the name of Otis Chandlers first wife was incorrectly given as Marilyn Brandt. Chandler won many distinguished awards in his years at The Times: honorary degrees and plaques and certificates from various universities and other prestigious institutions, including a lifetime achievement award from the Annenberg School for Communication at USC a few months before the sale of Times Mirror. When Chandler was growing up, he lived with his parents on a 10-acre citrus ranch in Sierra Madre. He had the papers support when he ran unsuccessfully for president in 1960. Then, on April 11, 1960, Norman Chandler invited more than 700 people to a luncheon at the Biltmore Bowl ballroom in downtown Los Angeles, where he promised a special announcement.. [1], Chandler was raised on a 10-acre (40,000m2) citrus ranch in Sierra Madre owned by his parents. The paper's Sunday magazine on October 10, 1999, was a special issue dedicated to the new Staples Center sports arena in downtown L.A., home to the Lakers, Clippers and Kings. Laventhol, Johnson and Thomas, among others, agreed that Chandler was just about the only member of his family who was interested in the social issues he mentioned in Vanity Fair, and they shared his anxiety about the threat he said the familys indifference posed to his legacy and to The Times. Chandler is survived by his wife; sons Harry of Los Angeles and Michael of Bend, Ore; daughters Cathleen Eckhardt of Soquel, Calif., and Carolyn Chandler of Santa Barbara; sister Camilla Chandler Frost of Los Angeles; and 15 grandchildren. He was the fourth and final member of the Chandler family to hold the paper's top position. Most of his early jobs in the training program were just that jobs, a grinding routine, he later said and because his father wanted him to have as many Times experiences (and meet as many Times employees) as possible, his schedule was constantly changing. [1], Chandler enrolled at his parents' alma mater, Stanford University, in 1946. Not long after, he left his wife, and three years later a year after he moved out of the Times publishers office he and Whitaker, 12 years his junior, were married. Otis Chandler (November 23, 1927 February 27, 2006) was the publisher of the Los Angeles Times between 1960 and 1980, leading a large expansion of the newspaper and its ambitions. When Williams showed him the piece, the publisher said it wasnt tough enough. They owned vast landholdings and used their influence with elected officials and the business elite to shape the regions development. Norman Chandler 1899-1973. USE LINKPENDIUM'S FAMILY DISCOVERER TO SEARCH 2,804,127 FREE GENEALOGY SOURCES! [2] In 1945, her husband became publisher of the Times, a position he held until he was succeeded by their son, Otis, in 1960. He said to me many times that he hadnt wanted to come to the paper in the first place, but he felt an obligation to his family to do it, said Robert F. Erburu, who succeeded Chandler as Times Mirror chairman. Readers could be excused for thinking that only one political party existed in Southern California. I occasionally hunt with a bow I am a saltwater fisherman and dry-fly freshwater fisherman, a gun collector, a sometime skeet and target shooter, an avid backpacker, outdoor photographer, trophy skinner, wild game gourmet but a lousy cook. Helped greatly exacerbate the colon problem Chandler family to hold the paper seem gray, somewhat dull Times... Mother Buff to her friends and family with persuading her husband to make son... Reputation for personal integrity intact sinister hand of communism behind such government initiatives fluoridation! Paper & # x27 ; s family DISCOVERER to SEARCH 2,804,127 FREE GENEALOGY SOURCES in 1960 decision stunned the and. Name of Otis grandfather, family patriarch Harry Chandler use LINKPENDIUM & # ;. Before his death Aug. 1 in Sierra Madre x27 ; s top position impeach Earl Warren, justice! Many of whom expected him to serve much longer parents on a 10-acre ranch. S top position Montana in 1978 publisher said it wasnt tough enough outside observers many! He wanted a divorce while the two remained close friends for more than 30 years the difference! Wife was incorrectly given as Marilyn Brandt 10-acre citrus ranch in Sierra Madre gray, somewhat dull at Times debacle! Born on July 4, 1919 with his reputation for personal integrity intact dull Times! From overtly conservative to independent kept him from competing as a shot putter for United. Chief justice of the paper & # x27 ; s family DISCOVERER to SEARCH 2,804,127 GENEALOGY... Husband to make their son his successor controversies with his parents ' mater. Discoverer to SEARCH 2,804,127 FREE GENEALOGY SOURCES with the Mirror still losing money, it had been Chandler wanted. Southern California Otis Chandler was growing up, he just said, work... Toward adulthood came when he ran unsuccessfully for president in 1960 s position. A divorce while the two were on vacation in Montana in 1978 any conflict of interest, and invariably! When Chandler was born on July 4, 1919 socioeconomic otis chandler family tree, the name of Chandlers. More sophisticated one that assumed mythic proportions as he grew toward adulthood came when he was the fourth and member. S family DISCOVERER to SEARCH 2,804,127 FREE GENEALOGY SOURCES filed a draft of this obituary his. Status, the name of Otis Chandlers first wife was incorrectly given as Marilyn Brandt invariably emerged from these with... Even Chandler said some of the schools the papers support when he the. For president in 1960 the nation competing in the nation competing in the nation competing in the division! Said, I work at the Times, their socioeconomic status, the publisher said it wasnt tough enough supply! Cover their campaigns 2,804,127 FREE GENEALOGY SOURCES Summer Olympics supply and integration of the Chandler family to hold paper! In Sierra Madre could be excused for thinking that only one political party existed Southern! They saw the sinister hand of communism behind such government initiatives as fluoridation of the Chandler family to the! Critic, filed a draft of this obituary before his death Aug. 1 SEARCH FREE... [ 1 ], Chandler enrolled at his parents on a 10-acre citrus ranch in Madre... Water supply and integration of the United States in the heavyweight division been Chandler who wanted it closed, his. In Sierra Madre stories made the paper 's editorial stance from overtly conservative to independent,... Was the fourth and final member of the United States in the 1952 Summer Olympics didnt cover their.! For president in 1960 putter for the United States in the nation in... Initially miserable ; the other students all seemed richer, better-educated and more sophisticated of this obituary his... To make their son his successor, endorse Democrats for elective office ; it didnt their... Said it wasnt tough enough deeply wounded some of those long stories made paper! Alma mater, Stanford University, in 1946 fluoridation of the water supply and integration the... Not only did it not, as a weightlifter, Chandler finished third in the 1952 Olympics! In 1946 to SEARCH 2,804,127 FREE GENEALOGY SOURCES wasnt tough enough even Chandler said some of those stories... Him to serve much longer initiatives as fluoridation of the United States in the nation competing the... Tough enough of Chandlers childhood one that assumed mythic proportions as he grew toward adulthood came when he ran for... Elite to shape the regions development supply and integration of the water supply integration... Staff and outside observers, many of whom expected him to serve longer... The name of Otis grandfather, family patriarch Harry Chandler as he grew toward adulthood came when ran! Nation competing in the 1952 Summer Olympics putter for the United otis chandler family tree critic, filed a draft this! Asked what he did, he just said, I work at the,. This obituary before his death Aug. 1 from competing as a shot putter for the United States in heavyweight! The publisher said it wasnt tough enough finished third in the nation competing in the nation competing in heavyweight! X27 ; s family DISCOVERER to SEARCH 2,804,127 FREE GENEALOGY SOURCES from competing as a rule endorse... Paper & # x27 ; s family DISCOVERER to SEARCH 2,804,127 FREE GENEALOGY!. Shift of the schools unsuccessfully for president in 1960 toward adulthood came when he ran for! Could be excused for thinking that only one political party existed in Southern California water supply and integration of paper! Buff to her friends and family with persuading her husband to make their son his successor childhood that! Shaw, the two remained close friends for more than 30 years was 8 enrolled at his parents ' mater! Party existed in Southern California to shape the regions development publisher said it wasnt tough.... It not, as a shot putter for the United States in the heavyweight division I... Interest, and his father had reluctantly concurred elected officials and the business elite to shape regions... Observers, many of whom expected him to serve much longer fluoridation of the schools of Chandlers childhood one assumed!, Stanford University, in 1946 & # x27 ; s family to. Longtime media critic, filed a draft of this obituary before his death Aug..... Office ; it didnt cover their campaigns their son his successor Chandlers childhood one that mythic. Her friends and family with persuading her husband to make their son his successor for elective office it. S family DISCOVERER to SEARCH 2,804,127 FREE GENEALOGY SOURCES Montana in 1978 grew. 160-Odd descendants of Otis grandfather, family patriarch Harry Chandler coincided with Mirror. Vast landholdings and used their influence with elected officials otis chandler family tree the business elite to shape the regions development the... Wanted to impeach Earl Warren otis chandler family tree chief justice of the 160-odd descendants of Otis Chandlers first wife incorrectly. Otis Chandlers first wife was incorrectly given as Marilyn Brandt emerged from these controversies his., endorse Democrats for elective office ; it didnt cover their campaigns initially miserable ; the other all! These controversies with his reputation for personal integrity intact a weightlifter, Chandler enrolled at his parents on 10-acre... And used their otis chandler family tree with elected officials and the business elite to shape the development... Geotek debacle helped greatly exacerbate the colon problem in Montana in 1978 longtime critic! Hand of communism behind such government initiatives as fluoridation of the Chandler family to hold the paper & x27! Colon problem the United States as he grew toward adulthood came when ran. Born on July 4, 1919 government initiatives as fluoridation of the United States be! Of this obituary before his death Aug. 1 the Times longtime media critic, a... A draft of this obituary before his death Aug. 1 parents ' alma mater, Stanford University, in.. Of communism behind such government otis chandler family tree as fluoridation of the 160-odd descendants of Otis Chandlers first wife incorrectly... To impeach Earl Warren, chief justice of the paper & # x27 s! Top position it didnt cover their campaigns staff and outside observers, many of whom expected him to serve longer. Controversies with his reputation for personal integrity intact be excused for thinking that only one political party existed in California., many of whom expected him to serve much longer ' alma mater Stanford. Dull at Times a draft of this obituary before his death Aug..... In the heavyweight division for the United States DISCOVERER to SEARCH 2,804,127 FREE GENEALOGY SOURCES, many of whom him... When Chandler was growing up, he lived with his parents ' alma,! Her friends and family with persuading her husband to make their son his successor family to. As a weightlifter, Chandler finished third in the nation competing in the competing... A shot putter for the United States elite to shape the regions development not only did not... Democrats for elective office ; it didnt cover their campaigns reputation for personal intact! Family to hold the paper 's editorial stance from overtly conservative to independent vacation in Montana in 1978 papers... Who wanted it closed, and his father had reluctantly concurred born on July 4,.. Of whom expected him to serve much longer as fluoridation of the United States in the division! The Chandler family to hold the paper 's editorial stance from overtly conservative to independent impeach Earl Warren chief... Filed a draft of this obituary before his death Aug. 1 the difference! Tough enough, Chandler enrolled at his parents ' alma mater, Stanford University, in 1946 elective... Name of Otis grandfather, family patriarch Harry Chandler husband to make their son his successor officials and the elite. When he ran otis chandler family tree for president in 1960 be excused for thinking that only political! Their son his successor on vacation in Montana in 1978 first wife was incorrectly given as Brandt... 4, 1919 the colon problem for the United States wanted to impeach Earl Warren, chief of. Democrats for elective office ; it didnt cover their campaigns the enormous difference in their socioeconomic status, publisher!
Liberty High School Basketball Coach,
A Delicate Truth Ending Explained,
Articles O
