Frank A. Daniels Jr.
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September 7, 1931
Frank A. Daniels Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | Frank Arthur Daniels Jr. September 7, 1931 |
| Died | June 30, 2022 (aged 90) |
| Burial place | Historic Oakwood Cemetery |
| Education | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| Occupation | Newspaper publisher |
| Employer | The News & Observer |
| Family | Josephus Daniels, grandfather |
Frank Arthur Daniels Jr. (September 7, 1931 – June 30, 2022) was an American newspaper publisher and president. He was publisher and president of The News & Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina from 1971 to 1996. Daniels was an early user of the Internet for news delivery, establishing one of the first online newspapers. He was also a chairman of the Associated Press.
Frank A. Daniels Jr. was born on September 7, 1931, in Raleigh, North Carolina.[1] His parents were Ruth (née Aunspaugh) and Frank Arthur Daniels Sr., who was publisher The News & Observer newspaper from 1941 to 1971.[2][3] The newspaper was purchased by his grandfather, Josephus Daniels, in 1894, serving as its editor and publisher until he died in 1941.[4][3] Josephus Daniels was also the United States Secretary of the Navy and the United States Ambassador to Mexico.[4]
Frank Daniels Jr. attended Woodberry Forest School in Woodberry Forest, Virginia.[1] In the summer of 1946, he worked as a copy boy at the newspaper.[5] He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with an AB in history in 1953.[6][3] After graduation, he worked in the composing room and the circulation department of The News & Observer.[5] In 1955, he served in the United States Air Force for two years.[6][3] He returned to UNC, where he studied law for two semesters before dropping out and going to work for his father at the newspaper.[6]
Career
When he returned to the family business in 1956, Daniels first worked in The News & Observer's advertising department.[6][7] He became its business manager in December 1959 and, later, its treasurer.[6][5] In 1968, he became the newspaper's general manager.[6] Daniels was publisher and president of The News & Observer from 1971 to 1996.[6]
Daniels earned a reputation as a liberal and progressive voice in the Southern United States.[8][6] He hired Claude Sitton, national editor of The New York Timesknown for civil rights reporting, as the newspaper's editor.[3][7] In the 1980s, Daniels formed The News & Observer Recycling Company to encourage the recycling of newspapers.[8] In 1994, he started one of the first online newspapers, News & Observer Times.[8][4] He also formed Nando.net, a commercial Internet service provider which dominated online sports coverage before ESPN and USA Today were online.[7]
Under his leadership, The News & Observer won the Pulitzer Prize three times, including the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 1996.[8][7] When the family sold the newspaper in 1995, Daniel's remained its publisher until he retired in early 1997.[1][4] He then became a co-owner of The Pilot in Southern Pines, North Carolina.[1][7] The Pilot then purchased the magazines Business North Carolina, O. Henry, Pine Straw, South Park, and Walter.[3][7]
In 1983, Daniels joined the board of directors of the Associated Press, serving as its chairman from 1992 to 1997.[4][7] He was also chairman of the board of the American Newspaper Publishers Association Foundation.[3] Daniels was president of the Newspaper Advertising Bureau, the North Carolina Press Association, and the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association.[3]