George Oakes (journalist)
George Washington Ochs Oakes | |
---|---|
Mayor of Chattanooga | |
In office 1893–1897 | |
Preceded by | Garnet Andrews |
Succeeded by | Edmund Watkins |
Personal details | |
Born | October 27, 1861 Cincinnati, Ohio |
Died | October 26, 1931 |
George Washington Ochs Oakes (October 27, 1861 – October 26, 1931) was an American journalist. Born George Washington Ochs, he legally added the surname "Oakes" in 1915 out of outrage at the sinking of the Lusitania by a German U-boat.
Journalism career
Ochs was born to
In 1900, when
On the outbreak of World War I, Oakes attempted to enlist in the army, but was refused admittance due to his age. He persisted, and signed up as a private in the 9th Coast Artillery, New York National Guard, and served from 1917 until the Armistice in 1918. At this time he became the managing editor of a new New York Times-owned magazine, Current History. He also edited the Times' Mid-Week Pictorial and served on the Times Board of Directors.
Political career
Oakes was a prominent figure in Tennessee politics. He attended the 1892 Democratic National Convention held in Chicago as an elected delegate, seconding on behalf of his state the nomination of Grover Cleveland; and in 1896 he was appointed delegate-at-large from Tennessee to the Palmer-Buckner Gold Democratic Convention held at Indianapolis in that year. In 1894 Oakes was elected mayor of Chattanooga, Tennessee, was reelected in 1896, and received a unanimous renomination in 1898, but declined it. He was elected vice-president and member of the executive board of the National Municipal League. For six years he held the presidency of the Chattanooga Library Association; for two years that of the Southern Associated Press; for three years that of the Chattanooga Board of Education; and for one year that of the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce.[1]
See also
Notes
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (July 2013) |
References
- Rines, George Edwin, ed. (1920). Encyclopedia Americana. .
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Singer, Isidore; et al., eds. (1901–1906). "Ochs, George Washington". The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls.