Rowell, Chester H. (Chester Harvey), 1867-1948

Rowell was born on Nov. 1, 1867 in Bloomington, IL; Ph. B, Univ. of Michigan, 1888; LL. D, College of the Pacific, 1927; Litt. D, Univ. of Southern CA, 1928; served as clerk, committee on elections, US House of Representatives, 1889-91; chairman, CA Republican State Convention, 1910; member, Republican National Campaign Committee, 1916; chairman, Republican State Committee, 1916-18; editor and publisher, Fresno Republican, 1898-1920; president, CA League of Nations Assn., 1927-39; delegate, Republican National Convention, 1928 and 1936; editor of San Francisco Chronicle, 1932-39, then editorial columnist; he died on Apr. 12, 1948.

Chester Harvey Rowell (November 1, 1867-April 12, 1948) was an early leader of the progressive movement in California. In 1898 he became the editor and manager of the Fresno Morning Republican. In 1907, he was co-founder and chairman (1907-1911) of the Lincoln-Roosevelt League. Rowell was a lecturer in journalism at the University of California, Berkeley (1911) and in political science at Stanford University (1927-1934). He was editor of the San Francisco Chronicle (1932-1939) and a member of the University of California Board of Regents from 1914 until shortly before his death in 1948.

Newspaper editor; California Republican party reform organizer and national delegate. Served as editor of the Fresno morning republican, and the San Francisco Chronicle.

Biography

Rowell was born on November 1, 1867 in Bloomington, Illinois; Ph.B, University of Michigan, 1888; LL.D, College of the Pacific, 1927; Litt.D, University of Southern California, 1928; served as clerk, committee on elections, U.S. House of Representatives, 1889-91; chairman, California Republican State Convention, 1910; member, Republican National Campaign Committee, 1916; chairman, Republican State Committee, 1916-18; editor and publisher, Fresno Republican, 1898-1920; president, California League of Nations Association, 1927-39; delegate, Republican National Convention, 1928 and 1936; editor of San Francisco Chronicle, 1932-39, then editorial columnist; he died on April 12, 1948.

Biography

Chester Harvey Rowell, California journalist and civic leader, was born in Bloomington, Ill., in 1867, son of Jonathan Harvey and Marie S. (Woods) Rowell. He was educated in Bloomington public schools, received the Ph.B. degree from the University of Michigan, 1888, and did graduate work at the universities of Halle and Berlin. In 1898 he became editor and publisher of the Fresno Republican, a small country newspaper founded by his uncle, Dr. Chester Rowell, and soon made it one of the leading papers of the state. He sold the Republican in 1920 to George A. Osborn and Chase S. Osborn, Jr. In 1923 Rowell began a series of syndicated newspaper articles and from 1932-1939 was editor of the San Francisco Chronicle. He died in 1948.

Autobiographical material can be found in Apr. 23, 1914 letter to Forkner.

Biography

Chester Harvey Rowell was born in Bloomington, Illinois, in 1867. In his youth, he went to Europe to study and travel. After his return, he taught at a small college in Kansas for a year and then came to Fresno, California, to be a high school instructor in mathematics and German. After two years in Fresno, Rowell joined the faculty at the University of Illinois, where he remained for a year. He returned to Fresno in 1898 to become the editor and manager of the Fresno Morning Republican, positions he maintained for twenty-two years. In 1912, on the death of his uncle Dr. Chester Rowell the founder and president of the board of directors of the newspaper, Rowell became president of the board. After leaving Fresno, Rowell became the editor and director of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Rowell also had a highly active political career. In 1907, he helped to organize the Lincoln Roosevelt League of California, the Republican party reform organization of which he was president for several years. He was chairman of the Republican state convention in 1910 and 1912, and a delegate from California, first to the Republican and then to the Progressive national convention. During this period, he served on a subcommittee which wrote the platforms of both political parties. In 1916, Rowell became a member of the Republican national campaign committee from California and between 1916 to 1918 he was chairman of the Republican state committee of California.

After his retirement from newspaper work in 1920, Rowell worked actively to promote general international good will among nations bordering the Pacific Ocean and spent much time in the Orient as a member of the Institute of Pacific Relations.