Joseph Medill (1823-1899)
Mayor of Chicago, Co-owner & Managing Editor of the Chicago Tribune
He was born in Canada and was originally a lawyer and newspaper publisher in Ohio before becoming part-owner and editor of the Chicago Tribune in 1855. A staunch conservative, he was one of the founders of the Republican Party, and is credited with influencing the party to nominate Abraham Lincoln for President in 1860. He was an outspoken abolitionist, yet was vehemently against unions. He was elected Mayor of Chicago in 1871, after the Great Chicago Fire, but as a supporter of the temperance movement he closed Chicago's saloons on Sundays which forced hm to retire before his term was up. In 1874, he took full control over the Chicago Tribune, which was later passed on to his heirs, the Pattersons and the McCormicks.
