About The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 18??-1882
Owosso, Mich. (18??-1882)

The Owosso Times, The Times and The Owosso Times

The Owosso Times, "the accredited organ of the Republican party in Shiawassee County," Michigan, was founded in 1879 by Lucius E. Gould. Owosso lies on the Shiawassee River, 27 miles northeast of the state capitol of Lansing. Owosso was incorporated as a city in 1859, when it reached a population of around 1,000. By the early 1870s, the town served as a major crossroads of the Jackson, Lansing, and Saginaw (later the Michigan Central) and the Detroit and Milwaukee Railroads, The Toledo, Saginaw and Muskegon Railroad (later the Grand Trunk Western) arrived in 1888, and Owosso remained a highly significant railroad town well into the 20th century.

George Martin Dewey Sr., a native of Lebanon, New Hampshire, Harvard graduate, and noted Republican stump speaker, who had previously served as editor-proprietor of the Niles Enquirer and the Hastings Republican Banner bought the Times in 1881. He later incorporated it as a stock company and retained the role of editor until he retired in 1890. Dewey had been one of the delegates at the meeting "under the oaks" in Jackson, Michigan, on July 6, 1854, that led to the organization of the Republican Party. He also served as senator for Michigan's 16th district during the 1873-74 session.

In 1889, a three-story brick office building was built to house the Times on the corner of Main and Park in Owosso's second ward, a few blocks east of the Shiawassee River. In 1890, James N. McBride became co-editor after purchasing a half-interest in the office with Edmund O. Dewey (George Dewey Sr.'s son), who also served as local postmaster. McBride was a Pennsylvanian who had moved to Michigan with his family while a child. He studied literature at the University of Michigan between 1884 and 1888 and had served as elected superintendent of schools for Shiawassee County prior to acquiring his share in the Owosso Times. By 1890, the paper was published each Friday in a quarto size. After 1882, the paper was simply called the Times; it resumed its original title of the Owosso Times in 1897.

George Martin Dewey Jr., the youngest son of George Sr., had been a cadet at West Point until serious injury necessitated his withdrawal. He edited the Owosso Times from 1905 until shortly before his own death in 1927. The paper folded in 1926 and was incorporated into the Owosso Argus-Press.

George Dewey Jr.'s son, Thomas E. Dewey (1902-1971), attended the University of Michigan and Columbia Law School and enjoyed a noted legal career; he served as governor of New York (1943-54) and was twice the Republican presidential nominee, losing to Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1944 and Harry S. Truman in 1948.

Provided by: Central Michigan University, Clark Historical Library