Edward Wyllis Scripps

Edward Wyllis Scripps (1854-1926), American newspaper publisher, born in Rushville, Illinois. He began his career in publishing in 1872 on the staff of the Detroit Tribune and then worked on other newspapers as editor and proprietor. In 1894, in partnership with the American newspaper publisher Milton Alexander McRae, he organized the newspaper chain known as the Scripps-McRae League of Newspapers. This organization later became the Scripps-Howard newspaper chain and reached the second largest total circulation in the U.S. Also in partnership with McRae, Scripps organized in 1897 the Scripps-McRae Press Association, which in 1907 became the United Press. In 1902 he originated modern syndicated matter by starting the Newspaper Enterprise Association to supply cartoons and feature articles to papers in his chain.