M. H. de Young
Co-founder of the San Francisco Chronicle and driving force behind the de Young Museum.
Michael Henry de Young (September 30, 1849 – February 15, 1925) was an American journalist and businessman. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, to a Jewish family, his mother was Cornelia Morange and his father was Miechel de Young. De Young later claimed his father had been a Baltimore banker of French birth, though he may have been a traveling jeweler and dry-goods merchant originally named De Jong or De Jongh. His maternal grandfather, Benjamin Morange, had served as the French Minister to Spain under Napoleon I before moving to the United States around 1815, where he helped found the B’nai Jeshurun Congregation in New York in 1825. The family relocated from St. Louis to San Francisco in 1854; de Young’s father was said to have died of a stroke during the journey. De Young attended and graduated from Heald College, a San Francisco college founded in 1863.
In San Francisco, de Young and his brother Charles founded the *Daily Dramatic Chronicle*, first published on January 17, 1865, using a twenty-dollar gold piece loaned by their landlord. The paper was a four-page tabloid distributed free throughout the city, with the brothers claiming it would be the best advertising medium on the Pacific Coast. On September 1, 1868, they expanded it into a daily newspaper, declaring it would be “independent in all things, neutral in none.” De Young later served for many years as a director of the Associated Press. Inspired by the Chicago World’s Fair, he led a campaign to bring a world’s fair to San Francisco and became director-general of the California Midwinter International Exposition of 1894. He successfully argued for the fair to be held in Golden Gate Park, despite opposition from the park’s superintendent, who worried about tree removal. De Young owned about thirty-one blocks south of the park, which may have motivated his interest. After the fair, he persuaded the city to preserve the Fine Arts Building, later renamed the M. H. de Young Memorial Museum. He supported the museum throughout his life and bequeathed $150,000 to it upon his death. In 1895, he was nominated for the U.S. Senate but lost to a fellow Republican. De Young converted to Catholicism after marrying his wife Katherine, with whom he had five children. In 1884, he survived being shot by an irate businessman, Adolph B. Spreckels, following a negative newspaper article. He died on February 15, 1925.
- field
- Journalism, business
- nationality
- American
Lore & Background
De Young was born in St. Louis, Missouri. The family was Jewish. Michael in later years claimed that his father was a Baltimore banker of French birth, but he may have been a peripatetic jeweler and dry-goods merchant named De Jong or De Jongh. Michael was the son of Cornelia 'Amelia' (née Morange; 1809–1881) and Miechel de Young (died 1854), who married in 1837. His maternal grandfather, Benjamin Morange, who served as the French Minister to Spain under Napoleon I, moved to the United States about 1815 and helped found the B'nai Jeshurun Congregation in New York in 1825. The de Young family moved from St. Louis to San Francisco in 1854. M. H. de Young's father was said to have died of a stroke during the journey. M. H. de Young attended and graduated from Heald College, a San Francisco college founded in 1863. In San Francisco, de Young and his brother, Charles de Young (1846–1880), founded the Daily Dramatic Chronicle newspaper, first published on January 17, 1865, with the loan of a twenty dollar gold piece which Michael received from his landlord. A third brother, Gustavus, whose initial originally appeared in the masthead ('G. and C. de Young'), later vanished. The Daily Dramatic Chronicle was a four-page tabloid that was freely distributed throughout San Francisco. According to the de Youngs, the Daily Dramatic Chronicle would be 'the best advertising medium on the Pacific Coast.' On September 1, 1868, the de Youngs expanded their tabloid into a daily newspaper. The first issue stated that the Chronicle would be 'independent in all things, neutral in none.' The Daily Dramatic Chronicle was sold under the condition that it be renamed the Dramatic Review. De Young was also the director of the Associated Press for many years. De Young, inspired by the events of the Chicago World's Fair, led a campaign to bring a world's fair to San Francisco. De Young then became the director-general of the California Midwinter International Exposition of 1894. During a visit to New York City, De Young was inspired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art's location in Central Park. As a result, de Young wanted the fair to be held in Golden Gate Park. However, John McLaren, the superintendent of Golden Gate Park, was concerned about how the removal of many trees would affect the environment of the park. In an intense debate, de Young asked McLaren, 'What is a tree? What are a th
Reader's Guide
As a journalist and businessman, M. H. de Young co-founded the *Daily Dramatic Chronicle* with his brother Charles in 1865, using a twenty-dollar gold piece loaned from his landlord. This four-page tabloid was distributed for free throughout San Francisco. The brothers later expanded it into a daily newspaper in 1868, declaring it would be independent in all things and neutral in none. De Young served for many years as a director of the Associated Press. Inspired by the Chicago World’s Fair, he led a campaign to bring a similar exposition to San Francisco and became director-general of the 1894 California Midwinter International Exposition. He insisted the fair be held in Golden Gate Park, arguing with the park’s superintendent over tree removal; de Young owned about thirty-one blocks south of the park, suggesting a potential financial motive. After the fair, he persuaded the city to preserve its Fine Arts Building, which was later renamed the M. H. de Young Memorial Museum after his death. He supported the museum throughout his life, bequeathing it $150,000. De Young was an avid collector of objects of curious, artistic, and instructive value, and he insisted the museum never charge admission. In 1884, he was shot by an irate businessman, Adolph B. Spreckels, following a negative newspaper article, but survived. He died in 1925.
Did You Know?
- De Young founded the Daily Dramatic Chronicle with a $20 gold piece loaned by his landlord.
- He was shot by Adolph B. Spreckels in 1884 but survived.
- The M. H. de Young Memorial Museum was originally the Fine Arts Building from the 1894 exposition.
- De Young bequeathed $150,000 to the museum upon his death.
- He converted to Catholicism after marrying his wife, Katherine I. Deane.
More in Publishers And Media Moguls 1-21
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record