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Cover of Time Magazine (September 1, 1924)

Adolph Simon Ochs (March 12, 1858 - April 8, 1935) was born in Cincinnati in 1868 to German-Jewish immigrants, Julius and Bertha Levy Ochs. He left grammar school to become a printer’s assistant at the Knoxville Chronicle. At the age of 19, he borrowed $250 to purchase a controlling interest in the Chattanooga Times, becoming its publisher. In 1896, at the age of 36, he again borrowed money to purchase The New York Times, a money-losing paper that had a wide range of competitors in New York City. His focus on objective news reporting (in a time when newpapers were openly and highly partisan), and a well-timed price decrease (from 3 cents per issue to 1 cent) lead to its rescue from near oblivion, increasing its readership from 9,000 at the time of his purchase to 780,000 by the 1920s.

In 1884, Ochs married Effie Wise, the daughter of Rabbi Isaac M. Wise of Cincinnati, who was the leading exponent of Reform Judaism in America and the founder of Hebrew Union College. His only daughter, Iphigene Bertha Ochs, married Arthur Hays Sulzberger, who became publisher of the Times after Adolph, his father-in-law, died. Her son Arthur Ochs "Punch" Sulzberger subsequently became publisher of the Times.

In 1904, Ochs moved the Times to a newly-built building on Longacre Square in Manhattan, which the City of New York then renamed as Times Square. On New Year's Eve 1904, Ochs had pyrotechnists illuminate his new building at One Times Square with a fireworks show from street level.

Reference

The Trust: The Private and Powerful Family behind The New York Times, Susan E. Tifft and Alex S. Jones, Little, Brown and Company, 1999.

External links

A Guy Named Ochs - Stephen Glass learns about the history of The New York Times and Adolph Ochs.
http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/biography/ochs.html
Jewish Virtual Library - Adolf Ochs

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 [[Image:1101240901 400.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Cover of ''Time Magazine'' (September 1, 1924)]]
-'''Adolph Simon Ochs''' ([[March 12]], [[1858]] - [[April 8]], [[1935]]) was an American Jewish reporter of [[Bavaria|Bavarian]] background, who purchased ''[[The New York Times]]'' in [[1896]], and rescued it from near oblivion, increasing its readership from 9,000 at the time of his purchase to 780,000 by the [[1920s]].
+'''Adolph Simon Ochs''' ([[March 12]], [[1858]] - [[April 8]], [[1935]]) was born in Cincinnati in 1868 to German-Jewish immigrants, Julius and Bertha Levy Ochs.  He left grammar school to become a printer’s assistant at the Knoxville Chronicle.  At the age of 19, he borrowed $250 to purchase a controlling interest in the Chattanooga Times, becoming its publisher.  In [[1896]], at the age of 36, he again borrowed money to purchase ''[[The New York Times]]'', a money-losing paper that had a wide range of competitors in New York City.  His focus on objective news reporting (in a time when newpapers were openly and highly partisan), and a well-timed price decrease (from 3 cents per issue to 1 cent) lead to its rescue from near oblivion, increasing its readership from 9,000 at the time of his purchase to 780,000 by the [[1920s]].
-His daughter, [[Iphigene Bertha Ochs]], married [[Arthur Hays Sulzberger]], who became publisher of the ''Times'' after his father-in-law. Her son [[Arthur Ochs Sulzberger|Arthur Ochs "Punch" Sulzberger]] also became publisher of the ''Times''.
+In 1884, Ochs married Effie Wise, the daughter of Rabbi Isaac M. Wise of Cincinnati, who was the leading exponent of Reform Judaism in America and the founder of Hebrew Union College.  His only daughter, [[Iphigene Bertha Ochs]], married [[Arthur Hays Sulzberger]], who became publisher of the ''Times'' after Adolph, his father-in-law, died. Her son [[Arthur Ochs Sulzberger|Arthur Ochs "Punch" Sulzberger]] subsequently became publisher of the ''Times''.
-Ochs moved the ''Times'' to Longacre Square in [[Manhattan]]. On [[December 31|New Year's Eve]] [[1904]], Ochs had pyrotechnists illuminate his new building at [[One Times Square]] with fireworks show from street level.
+In 1904, Ochs moved the ''Times'' to a newly-built building on Longacre Square in [[Manhattan]], which the City of New York then renamed as Times Square. On [[December 31|New Year's Eve]] [[1904]], Ochs had pyrotechnists illuminate his new building at [[One Times Square]] with a fireworks show from street level.
 ==Reference==
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 *[http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view.php?id=148244 A Guy Named Ochs] - [[Stephen Glass]] learns about the history of The New York Times and Adolph Ochs.
 *http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/biography/ochs.html
+*[http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/ochs.html Jewish Virtual Library - Adolf Ochs]
 [[Category:1858 births|Ochs, Adolph]]