Jump to content

The Sacramento Union

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Sacramento Daily Union)
"The Oldest Daily in the West"
The March 19, 1851 front page of the first edition of
The Sacramento Union
TypeDaily newspaper
FormatBroadsheet
FounderCharles L. Hansicker
FoundedMarch 19, 1851
Ceased publication
January 14, 1994
LanguageEnglish
Headquarters301 Capitol Mall
Sacramento, CA 95814
Circulation105,000 (at max)
ISSN82014929
OCLC number8804968

The Sacramento Union was a daily newspaper founded in 1851 in Sacramento, California. It was the oldest daily newspaper west of the Mississippi River before it closed its doors after 143 years in January 1994, no longer able to compete with The Sacramento Bee, which was founded in 1857.

History

[edit]

Origins

[edit]

The first newspaper published for Sutter's Fort, which was the start of Sacramento, was the Placer Times.[1] It first a published by E.C. Kemble on April 28, 1849. Other papers soon followed, including the Sacramento Transcript, founded on April 1, 1850.[1] The battle between those two papers was so fierce, that workers faced serious wage cuts.[2] A group of eight disgruntled journeymen printers left the Times and the Transcript to start their own morning daily newspaper called the Sacramento Daily Union.[1] The name "Union" was selected in reference to the group of printers running the business and being pro-Unionist.[2]

The paper was first issued on Wednesday, March 19, 1851. Charles L. Hansicker was publisher and head of the firm with included six other proprietors.[3] Dr. John F. Morse, a physician in charge of a local hospital, was hired as editor.[2] On the front page of the first issue, Morse wrote: "It will be our aim to publish the first news in the best style and at the lowest prices."[3] On June 1, 1851, the firm launched the Steamer Union, an edition of the paper focused on California news for circulation in the Atlantic states.[4]

In January 1852, publisher Hansicker exited the firm, which at that time was taken over by E.J. Jefferies.[1] On January 10, 1852, the firm launched a weekly edition called the Weekly Union.[1][5] In May 1852, editor Morse exited the business.[1] He was succeeded by A.C. Russell, who after four months was replaced as editor by Lauren S. Upson.[2] In June 1852, the firm launched an illustrated sheet with engravings on California subjects called the Pictorial Union.[6] In October 1852, Henry W. Larkin and Paul Morrill bought a controlling interest in the firm.[7]

On November 2, 1852, the paper's office at 121 J Street was destroyed in a fire called the Great Conflagration. More than 80% of structures in Sacramento were burned.[8][9] The plant was rebuilt on the same spot.[10][11] In May 1853, business manager James Anthony became a co-owner.[1] Anthony, Larkin and Morrill eventually became the paper's sole owners,[7] with Anthony was the lead partner.[12] At that time, circulation was 500.[12]

During the American Civil War, editor Upson wrote in support of the Union, and was often called the journalist who kept California from joining the The Confederacy. Upson was a friend of Theodore Judah and the Central Pacific Railroad, and called for the first public meeting to fundraise for First transcontinental railroad. He was also instrumental in establishing Sacramento's public school system, flood control, hospitals and other civic improvements [13]

In May 1861, the paper relocated to a new building at 1017 Third Street. The total cost of the new plant was $18,000.[10][11] In 1863, Anthony began penning editorials in opposition to Collis Potter Huntington and the Big Four Railroaders, believing the industrialists and their railroad corporations too powerful in the state.[12] In 1864, editor Upson retired due to failing health.[13] During the 1867 California gubernatorial election, the Union was in opposition to railroad lobbyist George Congdon Gorham, which contributed to his defeat.[12]

Mark Twain and The Union

[edit]

Humorist Samuel Langhorne Clemens, who is better known by his pen name of Mark Twain, was the most famous contributor to the Sacramento Union, although his limited involvement in the newspaper would be over emphasized by Union staff in the century to follow.[14][15][16] After Clemens, then age 30, resigned from the San Francisco Morning Call in early 1866, he was without work for months. It was then he approached James Anthony, one of the owners of the Union who was a good friend, and pitched him the idea of paying him to travel to the Sandwich Islands (modern day Hawaii) and then write to the paper of his experiences. The publisher agreed. [17]

Mark Twain, photographed in 1967, a year after his Hawaiian trip

On March 7, 1866, Clemens left San Francisco aboard the steamboat Ajax.[18] He sent the Union a total of 25 letters for publication from his four months abroad.[17] His 15th letter, published on July 19, was a detailed account on the loss of Hornet and a lifeboat containing its remaining 15 crew members washing ashore at Laupāhoehoe, Hawaii.[19] Clemens was assisted in his reporting by diplomat Anson Burlingame, who snuck him into the hospital by having him carried in by stretcher. Burlingame interview the crewmembers while Clemens took notes.[20]

In total, Clemens wrote 90,000 words during his trip to Hawaii, with about 35,000 of those words later republished in his travel memoir, "Roughing It," with another 5,000 new words added.[21] Upon returning to Sacramento, Clemens charged the Union $20 for each week he travelled, per their agreement, and an extra $100 for the Hornet story. The cashier declined to pay the extra amount but one of the owners never hesitated to pay and laughed at the situation.[20]

Afterward, Clemens was one of two unsigned reporters to cover the California State Fair for the Union in September 1866. His contributions to the paper ended there.[17] Author Edgar M. Branch speculated this last assignment was either a favor to the owner or one last stab at journalism, an opportunity to join the paper's staff with the experience contributing to Clemens' decision to abandon local reporting for good and focus on lecturing, which propelled his career.[17]

In the years to follow, there was a belief shared amongst Union staff was that one of the desks at the paper's office belonged to Clemens. One writer incorrectly believed for years he had used Clemens' desk, and was disappointed upon learning the truth.[14] During the Great Depression, journalist Herb Caen claimed that staff, to keep the Union in business, would take battered old desks from their office and sell them for $100, falsely claiming they were "Mark Twain's Desk."[22] In 1937, Grabhorn Press republished the Clemens letters for the first time in book form, titled, "Letters From Hawaii."[21]

After the paper's new office at 301 Capital Mall was completed in 1968, it's lobby was named in Twain's honor. A collection of Twain memorabilia was put on display there for visitors and a bronze bust of Twain was a focal point in the room.[23] Artist Walter Russell was commissioned by the Mark Twain Memorial Foundation to create the bust in honor of Twain's 100th birthday. It was unveiled at dinner held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel (New York City) and later was housed in Great Britain, but returned to the United States during WWII. Publisher James S. Copley later bought the bust for the Copley Library until giving it to the Union.[24] From then on, the bust featured a plaque inscribed with an excerpt Twain wrote on his time writing for the Union, calling it "a great and influential daily journal."[16] After the Union ceased, the bust was donated to UC Davis and ever since housed at the Shields Library.[25][26]

In 1974, from November 11-20, the Union and Western Airlines organized a sight-seeing tour for up to 300 people to follow in Twain's footsteps in Hawaii. Tickets were $597, and the group included Union staff and a Mark Twain impersonator.[23][27]

Mid 19th to Mid 20th century (1867-1966)

[edit]

In February 1867, a rival paper called The Daily Record was first published in Sacramento.[28] It was founded by James J. Keegan,[29] and was under the influence of the Central Pacific Railroad.[30] In 1870, the Record was enlarged, larger than the Union.[31] That same, year, the railroad company banned carriers from selling copies of the Union on its cars.[32] At that time the Union had a circulation of 24,000 (9,000 daily, 15,000 weekly), making it the largest of more than 90 papers published in California. The New-York Tribune called the Union the "miners' Bible" due to how many gold prospectors read it. [33]

In April 1872, Capt. A.D. Wood, of Vallejo, and William H. Mills bought the Record from Kegan.[34][35] In October 1874, Wood sold out to Hill.[36] In December 1875, the Union was put up for sale at auction by W.H. Larkin, James Anthony and Paul Morrill.[37] The only bid was placed by Morrill at $65,000. Years earlier the three declined an offer to sell the paper for $250,000.[38] The Union owners voided the auction and then entered into negotiations to sell the paper for much less to the Central Pacific Railroad.[39] In February 1875, the Union was acquired by an association of property owners for $45,000, with Mills acquiring a large stake.[40] On Feb. 22, the Record and Union merged to form the Sacramento Record-Union.[41][42] By 1901, CPR, which had become Southern Pacific Railroad, was looking to sell the Record-Union, having lost an average of $2,000 a month operating it, a total loss of $750,000.[43]

Two years later, SPR and Mills divested from the business, leaving the paper entirely in the hands of the Pacific Improvement Company. In June 1903, Alfred Holman bought the Record-Union,[44] and soon dropped the word "Record" from the name.[45] In December 1906, Holman sold the Union to E.A. Forbes, owner of the Marysville Appeal and Chico Enterprise-Post, for $100,000.[46] A month later Holman bought The Argonaut.[47] In February 1908, the Calkins Newspaper Syndicate bought the Union for $175,000.[48] In July 1908, a group of 300 residents appeared at the Union's office demanding editor Leonard S. Calkins retract an editorial against Mayor Clinton L. White and the city itself.[49] In March 1909, creditors took control of the Union and put L.E. Bontz in charge.[50] Two months later and the Calkins Newspaper Syndicate declared bankruptcy.[51] All of the company's remaining papers were acquired by the Union Trust Company.[52] In November 1910, Bontz bought the Union.[53]

Lynn C. Simpson became a co-owner in June 1914,[54] and the two sold the Union to C.M. Wooster in August 1918,[55] followed by Ben S. Allen and John S. Craig in May 1919.[56] Allen bought out Craig in February 1920,[57] and sold the Union to James D. Meredith in August 1921.[58] The paper relocated for the second time in 71 years to 1910 M Street in October 1921.[59] Benjamin E. Bradley became a co-owner in June 1923,[60] and the two sold the Union to W.W. Chapin in February 1925.[61] Carl H. Brockhagen was another Union co-owner, who acquired the Portland Telegram in September 1927.[62] Chapin sold his stake in the Union to C.A. Hughes in March 1928.[63] Brockhagen acquired the San Francisco Bulletin in September 1928.[64] Hughes left the Union in May 1929 and Brockhagen then put his son Robert "Bob" Brockhagen in charge.[65]

On September 1, 1929, William H. Dodge, of Beverly Hills, formerly a general manager at Scripps Howard, bought the Union from Brockhagen and Herbert Fleischhacker. Dodge then became its publisher.[66] In January 1948, Dodge was the passenger in a automobile heading to Coronado for the annual California Newspaper Publishers Association convention when it collided with a truck in Bellflower. Dodge was hospitalized,[67] and died from his injuries that October. He was age 68.[68] Dodge's son-in-law William A. Simpson Jr. succeed him as publisher. In May 1962, a group of 50 local businessmen formed a corporation to buy the paper. At that time Leonard V. Finder was named publisher. Over the past decade the paper had doubled its circulation to 60,000.[69][70]

Conservatism and The Bee rivalry (1966-1989)

[edit]

In February 1966, the paper's board of directors voted to sell the paper to Copley Press,[71] and shareholders voted to approve the deal that March. Copley Press paid $2.64 million. At that time the morning Union had a circulation of 65,000 while the afternoon Bee had a circulation of 169,000.[72] Board chairman James S. Copley was a conservative with close ties to the Republican Party.[73] The deal was completed that May, and thus, the Union became editorially pro-Republican.[74] A year later, in April 1967, board chairman Copley and Governor Ronald Reagan broke ground at the Capitol Mall on a new headquarters to house a new long-run, photo-offset press.[75]

In December 1974, Conservative John P. McGoff, president of Panax Corp., bought the Union from Copley Press,[76] which had lost money every year it owned it.[77] McGoff immediately sold off four of the paper's 10 printing presses, laid off 20% of staff and leased out the building's top two floors.[78] In January 1977, the Union filed a $3 million antitrust lawsuit against McClatchy Newspapers, owners of the Bee, accusing the company of operating an illegal mass media monopoly in the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys.[77] In response, McClatchy countersued, accusing its rival of deliberately and illegally selling advertising and subscriptions at a loss in order to damage the Bee.[79]

In December 1977, McGoff sold a 50% stake in Sierra Publishing Co., which published the Union, to conservative banker Richard Mellon Scaife for $13 million.[80][81] That same month, the Bee announced it will add a morning edition stating January 23, 1978, putting it head-to-head with the Union.[82] In response, the Union filed for a preliminary injunction to stop the Bee,[83] but a judge denied the request.[84] In April 1978, the Bee switched all editions to the morning after the Mailers Union went on strike. The change was made permanent that June.[85] The Union tried to capitalize on this change by launching an afternoon "Five-Star" edition but discontinued if after seven weeks.[86]

In June 1979, a South Africa government commission linked McGoff to the Muldergate scandal. An investigation reveled that five years earlier, McGoff was secretly given $10 million by the country's Department of Information to purchase The Washington Star in an attempt to further foreign interests. After his bid proved unsuccessful, McGoff used $6 million from the slush fund to buy the Union, with the total sale price at $7.75 million.[87] In July 1979, McClatchy filed a motion to dismiss the suit after McGoff ignored a subpoena to appear in court and answer questions regarding the source of funds he used to buy the Union.[88] The judge denied the dismissal request, but did give McGoff a $10,000 fine.[89] In August 1979, McGoff and McClatchy tentatively agreed to each drop their suit and countersuit.[90]

In August 1980, the Union's executive staff was restructured and a long-range plan to expand the circulation size and scope was announced. This happened amid rumors McGoff was looking to sell his 50% stake, which he denied.[91] In January 1982, McGoff sold out to Scaife. At that time the Union's daily circulation was 112,409 while the Bee's was 217,000.[92] On August 15, 1988, the Union switched from the standard broadsheet size to a tabloid,[93] and launched a marketing campaign with the slogan "Grab the Tab."[94] That year the paper lost an estimated $5 million as circulation declined to 83,272.[95]

Final years and closure (1989-1994)

[edit]

In July 1989, Scaife agreed to sell the Union to local real estate developers Daniel "Danny" Benvenuti Jr., age 35, and David Kassis, age 29.[95] About 300 employees were laid off and then rehired.[96] That December the deal was finalized.[97] They paid $7 million for the Union, and primarily bought it in order to build a skyscraper on the property. But the real-estate market cooled and the project never martialized.[98] In January 1990, James H. Smith was named publisher.[99] A month later the paper announced plans to revert back to broadsheet.[100]

In August 1990, Joseph Farah was named editor.[101] The Southern Poverty Law Center reported "circulation dropped by more than 25% as Farah dragged the already conservative paper sharply to the right during his 15 months at its helm.[102] A former Union journalist said Farah was "a mouthpiece for the fundamentalist Christian right, preoccupied with abortion, homosexuals and creationism."[102] Smith resigned in August 1991,[103] and Farah resigned in October 1991.[104] The two then founded the Western Journalism Center.[105]

In June 1992, a group of investors led by real-estate developer Greg Hardcastle and J. J. McClatchy, who's family owned the Bee, announced plans to by the Union. The paper's printing plant and office building were not included in the deal. At that time Union circulation was 61,465 compared to the Bee at 264,462.[106] Both Smith and Farah were to be hired back as publisher and editor once the deal was done.[107] But McClatchy soon backed out and the sale was postponed.[108] That August, in anticipation of the sale, the Union sold off its press to another paper in Mexico and contracted Herald Printing Co., a local commercial printer. About 15 jobs were eliminated.[109][110]

However, the deal kept on getting delayed,[111] but an agreement was eventually reached with Hardcastle,[112] only for it to officially fall through in early October 1992. The reason was Hardcastle failed to secure the millions needed to operate the business. The deal, priced at $200,000, was only for the paper's name, advertising and circulation lists. By then circulation had fallen to 40,000. Benvenuti Jr. lost almost $7 million just keeping the paper afloat.[98] Later in October, Herald Printing Co., headed by Ralph Danel Jr., acquired the Union and promised to maintain its Conservative voice. All 119 employees were rehired.[110][113][114] Danel Jr. became publisher and hired Steven Morales as associate publisher and general manager.[115]

Danel Jr. lost $100,000 every month he kept the Union open. To stem the losses, he cut staff by 25%.[116] In October 1993, the Union decreased publication from seven to three days a week. Circulation then was 35,000.[117] The losses continued and the formerly daily Union published its final edition on Friday, January 14, 1994. The cover featured a color photo of the paper's last staff under the blaring headline, "We're history," coined by the newspaper's last editor, Ken Harvey. The final circulation count was 31,500.[116] In 1999, Danel Jr. donated the Union's bound print archive and Mark Twain bust to the Sacramento State University Library. The collection was appraised at $60,000.[118]

Revival attempt

[edit]

Magazine (2004-2005)

[edit]

On February 9, 2004, the Western Journalism Center, which operated the American far-right website WorldNetDaily and was led by Smith and Farah, announced plans to relaunch the Sacramento Union as a daily news site at SacUnion.com with a monthly glossy magazine. Smith was named publisher.[119] Farah served on the new Union's adversity board.[120] The revived news outlet was described as politically Conservative.[121][105]

In August 2004, Kenneth E. Grubbs Jr. was named editor. Grubbs Jr. previously worked as director of the National Journalism Center until he was fired.[122] On October 1, 2004, an expanded website was launched.[120] In November 2004, the magazine's first bi-monthly edition was published. After an investor backed out, nine staffers were let go and the print magazine was discontinued in May 2005.[123]

Tabloid (2006-2009)

[edit]

On July 21, 2006, the Western Journalism Center relaunched the Union's print edition, this time as a tabloid-sized free bi-weekly newspaper disturbed at local newsstands[124][125] In April 2007, the Union made the unusual move to pay to run two pages of Conservative editorial content in the left-leaning Sacramento News & Review for 13 weeks.[126] In March 2009, editor-in-chief James Dutra announced the tabloid had ceased and the Union's website was soon taken offline.[124][125]

Newspaper building

[edit]

On December 8, 1968, the Sacramento Union dedicated its new office at 301 Capitol Mall in downtown Sacramento several years after Copley Press purchased the property. In 1989, Danny Benvenuti purchased the business, and sold it two years later. However, he kept the property and leased it back to the paper. He planned to construct a high-rise office space at the paper’s headquarters, but by 1997, the plan was abandoned.[127]

In 2004, John Saca partnered with CalPERS and bought the site. He planned to build a $500 million hotel and condominium project with two 53-story towers. The project was called the "Towers on Capitol Mall". In October 2005, crews demolition crews razed the old daily Union office building. Construction halted in 2007 as project costs ballooned. The lot remained vacant for years.[127] In 2024, Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians purchased the land for $17 million.[128]

Archives

[edit]

Print

[edit]

The Special Collections department of the Shields Library at UC Davis is home to 660 bound volumes of the newspaper. The library also has photograph from 1966 to 1994, newspaper chippings organized by subject from 1972 through 1992, along with business records from the last eighteen months The Union was in business. Microfilmed copies of the paper are available from 1851-1854; 1856-1864 and 1869-1994.[129]

Digitized

[edit]

The California Digital Newspaper Collection at UC Riverside has digitized copies of the newspaper available online for free. This collection encompasses 36,834 issues containing 536,183 pages published from March 19, 1851 to April 30, 1966.[130]

The Chronicling America collection by the Library of Congress has digitized copies of the Sacramento Daily Record-Union available online for free dating from 1880 to 1899.[131]

Newspapers.com has digitized copies of the newspaper available online for a paid subscription, with 1,197,480 searchable pages dating from 1880-1991.[132]

Notable staff

[edit]
Union writer Bret Harte in 1868[133]

California Newspaper Hall of Fame

[edit]

As of 2026, three former journalists have been inducted by the California Press Foundation into the California Newspaper Hall of Fame for their work at the Sacramento Union. They are editor Lauren Upson (1959),[134] publisher James Anthony (1962)[135] and associate editor Edward C. Kemble (1974).[136]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Sacramento Journalism | A Glance Through the Newspaporial Graveyard". The Sacramento Bee. February 4, 1882. p. 1.
  2. ^ a b c d "Strike Gave Birth to The Sacramento Union". The Sacramento Union. April 9, 1961. p. 100.
  3. ^ a b Morse, John F. (March 19, 1851). ""The Daily Union"". Sacramento Daily Union. p. 1.
  4. ^ "The Steamer Union". Sacramento Daily Union. May 28, 1851. p. 2.
  5. ^ "Weekly Union". The Nevada Journal. Nevada City, California. January 15, 1852. p. 2.
  6. ^ "To the California Public, The Pictorial Union!". Sacramento Daily Union. June 12, 1852. p. 3.
  7. ^ a b "Death of Henry W. Larkin". The San Francisco Examiner. November 12, 1878. p. 3.
  8. ^ "The Fire at Sacramento". The Nevada Journal. Nevada City, California. November 12, 1852. p. 4.
  9. ^ "This Day in History, November". Sacramento History Museum. February 23, 2015. Retrieved 2026-06-08.
  10. ^ a b "The New "Union Office."". Sacramento Daily Union. May 20, 1861. p. 3.
  11. ^ a b "Orignal Home". The Sacramento Union. June 11, 1962. p. 23.
  12. ^ a b c d "James Anthony | He Published the 'Miner's Bible'". The San Francisco Examiner. December 1, 1962. p. 8.
  13. ^ a b "Upson, Editor of Union, Was a Power in State". The Sacramento Union. June 14, 1962. p. 6.
  14. ^ a b "Sacramento By C.J.L.". January 20, 1935. January 20, 1935. p. 1.
  15. ^ "He Was on Union's Staff". The Sacramento Union. March 22, 1936. p. 28.
  16. ^ a b Magagnini, Stephen (October 23, 1978). "The Mark Twain story: finally it can be told". The Sacramento Union. p. 12.
  17. ^ a b c d Branch, Edgar M. (1969). "Mark Twain Reports the Races in Sacramento". Huntington Library Quarterly. 32 (2): 179–186. doi:10.2307/3816686. ISSN 0018-7895. JSTOR 3816686.
  18. ^ "Going". The San Francisco Examiner. March 7, 1866. p. 3.
  19. ^ Twain, Mark (July 19, 1866). "Letter From Honolulu. | Burning of The Clipper Ship Hornet At Sea". The Sacramento Union. p. 1.
  20. ^ a b "Mark Twain's 'grand scoop' for The Union". The Sacramento Union. March 19, 1990. p. 46.
  21. ^ a b Jackson, Joseph Henry (May 2, 1937). "Mark Twain's Sandwich Island Letters: A Fine Book for Collectors". San Francisco Chronicle. p. 45.
  22. ^ Caen, Herb (January 13, 1994). "Lord of the Files". San Francisco Chronicle. p. 46.
  23. ^ a b Pendergast, Mae Belle (July 14, 1974). "Tour to trace Twain's steps". The Sacramento Union. p. 26.
  24. ^ "Samuel Clemens | Great Man Rests In Union's Lobby". The Sacramento Union. December 1, 1968. p. 100.
  25. ^ Gunasekara, Sara (September 4, 2015). "Gerome meets Mark Twain in Shields Library". UC Davis Library. Retrieved 2026-06-07.
  26. ^ Hodge, Jenny (November 29, 2016). "50 Features of Special Collections: Mark Twain Bronze Sculpture". UC Davis Library. Retrieved 2026-06-08.
  27. ^ "'Mark' joins the tour". The Sacramento Union. September 8, 1974. p. 28.
  28. ^ "The Daily Record". Daily Miner-Transcript. Nevada City, California. February 14, 1867. p. 2.
  29. ^ "Pioneer Newspaper Founder Dies Here". Sacramento Daily Union. December 7, 1914. p. 13.
  30. ^ "Our San Francisco Dispatch". Appeal-Democrat. Marysville, California. April 16, 1868. p. 3.
  31. ^ "Daily Record". Daily Evening Herald. Stockton, California ·. June 27, 1870. p. 3.
  32. ^ "Sacramento Union and Central Pacific Railroad". Los Angeles Daily News. June 28, 1870. p. 2.
  33. ^ "James Anthony | He Published the 'Miner's Bible'". The San Francisco Examiner. December 1, 1962. p. 8.
  34. ^ "Change of Ownership". Sacramento Daily Union. April 20, 1872. p. 5.
  35. ^ "William H. Mills Called By Death". Los Angeles Herald. Associated Press. May 25, 1907. p. 1.
  36. ^ "State News Items". Los Angeles Evening Express. October 13, 1874. p. 2.
  37. ^ "The Sacramento Union For Sale". The Idaho Statesman. Boise, Idaho. December 8, 1874. p. 2.
  38. ^ "Its Market Value". Oakland Tribune. December 30, 1874. p. 1.
  39. ^ "Negotiations Pending". Martinez News-Gazette. February 20, 1875. p. 2.
  40. ^ "The Sacramento Union Sold". Daily Miner-Transcript. Nevada City, California. February 20, 1875. p. 2.
  41. ^ "The Record-Union". Sacramento Daily Union. February 22, 1875. p. 4.
  42. ^ "Record-Union". Morning Union. Grass Valley, California. February 24, 1875. p. 2.
  43. ^ "Here Is A Chance To Purchase A Newspaper". The San Francisco Examiner. May 25, 1901. p. 1.
  44. ^ "Record-Union Has Been Sold". The Sacramento Bee. June 9, 1903. p. 10.
  45. ^ "Sacramento Union's New Proprietor". Bakersfield Morning Echo. Associated Press. June 14, 1903. p. 4.
  46. ^ "A.E. Forbes Buys Sacramento Union For $100,000". Oakland Enquirer. December 17, 1906. p. 7.
  47. ^ "Alfred Holman Buys Argonnaut". Record Searchlight. Redding, California. January 4, 1907. p. 5.
  48. ^ "Sacramento Union Sold To The Calkins Syndicate For $175,000". Appeal-Democrat. Marysville, California. February 22, 1908. p. 1.
  49. ^ "City's Wrath Descends on Sacramento Union". The Record. Stockton, California. June 27, 1908. p. 1.
  50. ^ "Take Control Of Calkins Papers | "Union" and "Herald" Managed by Men to Whom Syndicate Owes Money". Oakland Tribune. March 29, 1909. p. 5.
  51. ^ "Name Receiver For Calkins' Syndicate". The Sacramento Star. May 4, 1909. p. 8.
  52. ^ "Sacramento Union Sold". The Sacramento Bee. August 2, 1909. p. 5.
  53. ^ "Sacramento Union Has Changed Hands". Feather River Bulletin. Quincy, California. November 7, 1910. p. 1.
  54. ^ "Notice". Press-Telegram. Long Beach, California. June 26, 1914. p. 6.
  55. ^ "Morning Union Is Sold To C.M. Wooster". The Sacramento Star. August 14, 1918. p. 7.
  56. ^ "Yolo Men Purchase Sacramento Union". The Sacramento Bee. May 21, 1919. p. 14.
  57. ^ "John S. Craig's Interests in Union Bought by Ben S. Allen". The Sacramento Union. February 6, 1920. p. 1.
  58. ^ "J.D. Meredith Purchases Union". The Sacramento Union. August 14, 1921. p. 5.
  59. ^ "Newspaper to Establish Itself In New Home at 1910 M Street". The Sacramento Union. October 11, 1921. p. 1.
  60. ^ "Bradley Buys Half Interest in Sacramento Union". Beaumont Journal. Beaumont Journal. Associated Press. June 27, 1923. p. 1.
  61. ^ "W.W. Chapin Is New Owner Of The Sacramento Union". The Sacramento Bee. February 9, 1925. p. 4.
  62. ^ "Brockhagen To Head Portland Telegram". The Daily Astorian. Astoria, Oregon. Associated Press. September 2, 1927. p. 1.
  63. ^ "S.F. Man Sells Interest In Sacramento Union". San Francisco Bulletin. March 2, 1928. p. 6.
  64. ^ "C.H. Brockhagen Buys S.F. Paper". The Sacramento Union. September 21, 1928. p. 3.
  65. ^ "Brockhagen Takes Union, Hughes And Faville Leave". Independent-Leader. Sacramento, California. May 17, 1929. p. 1.
  66. ^ "Sacramento Union Is Purchased By William H. Dodge". Colusa Sun-Herald. United Press. August 26, 1929. p. 1.
  67. ^ "Condition of Sacramento Union Publisher Better". The Chico Enterprise. Associated Press. January 19, 1948. p. 3.
  68. ^ "W.H. Dodge, Publisher, Dies at 68". San Francisco Chronicle. Associated Press. October 14, 1948. p. 14.
  69. ^ "Union Bought By Local Group". The Sacramento Union. May 11, 1962. p. 1.
  70. ^ "State's Oldest Paper Sold in Sacramento". The Los Angeles Times. United Press International. May 11, 1962. p. 30.
  71. ^ "Sacramento Union | Copley Press Buys State's Oldest Morning Newspaper". Evening Vanguard. Venice, California. Associated Press. February 15, 1966. p. 1.
  72. ^ "Stockholders OK sale of Sacramento Union". Record Searchlight. Redding, California. Associated Press. March 11, 1966. p. 2.
  73. ^ "Union's Sale To Copley Press Is Not Certain". The Sacramento Bee. February 24, 1966. p. 33.
  74. ^ Copley, James S. (May 11, 1966). "Accepting a Challenge". The Sacramento Union. p. 1.
  75. ^ "Capitol Mall Groundbreaking | Reagan Helps The Union Start Work on New Home". The Sacramento Union. April 13, 1967. p. 12.
  76. ^ "New Publisher in Town | McGoff Pledges Service". The Sacramento Union. December 14, 1974. p. 1.
  77. ^ a b "Sacramento Union Is Plaintiff |McClatchy Faces Antitrust Suit". The Fresno Bee. January 9, 1977. p. 2.
  78. ^ "New Owner Sees Sacramento Union In Black By Spring". The Sacramento Bee. January 8, 1975. p. 21.
  79. ^ "McClatchy files countersuit against The Sacramento Union". The Sacramento Union. p. 14.
  80. ^ "Richard Scaife joins John P. McGoff as union co-publisher". The Sacramento Union. December 22, 1977. p. 21.
  81. ^ "50 Percent | Pennsylvania Publisher Buys Sacramento Union". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Associated Press. December 22, 1977. p. 25.
  82. ^ "Sacramento Bee will have morning edition". The Modesto Bee. December 14, 1977. p. 9.
  83. ^ "Court orders hearing on Bee morning paper". The Sacramento Union. December 30, 1977. p. 2.
  84. ^ "Injunction Against Bee Rejected". Oroville Mercury Register. Associated Press. January 19, 1978. p. 12.
  85. ^ "Sacramento Bee's Switch to Mornings Is Permanent". The Fresno Bee. Associated Press. June 23, 1978. p. 7.
  86. ^ "Sacramento Union Will End Afternoon Edition". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Associated Press. June 29, 1978. p. 31.
  87. ^ Quintana, Joe (June 5, 1979). "Sacramento Union Sale Tied to S. Africa Fund". The Fresno Bee. p. 1.
  88. ^ "Bee asks for dismissal of antitrust lawsuit". The Sacramento Union. July 19, 1979. p. 3.
  89. ^ "Judge won't quash suit against Bee but fines Union for ignoring order". The Sacramento Union. July 31, 1979. p. 6.
  90. ^ "McGoff agrees to drop antitrust suit". Lansing State Journal. Associated Press. August 11, 1979. p. 3.
  91. ^ "The Union 'not for sale': McGoff". The Sacramento Union. August 22, 1980. p. 74.
  92. ^ Gibson, Steve (January 23, 1982). "Scaife Buys McGoff's Half of Sacramento Union". The Sacramento Bee. p. 13.
  93. ^ Ackley, Michael (August 14, 1988). "Nine out of 10 physicists agree: shorts make sense". The Sacramento Union. p. 33. Retrieved September 9, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  94. ^ "Our New Model Will Feature Improved Handling". The Sacramento Union. July 27, 1988. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.
  95. ^ a b Terhaar, Joyce; Glover, Mark (July 2, 1989). "Local developers agree to buy Sacramento Union". The Sacramento Bee. p. 13.
  96. ^ Chavez, Ken (September 28, 1989). "300 at Sacramento Union to get layoff notices". The Sacramento Bee. p. 19.
  97. ^ "Sacramento Union owners change". Turlock Journal. Associated Press. December 1, 1989. p. 17.
  98. ^ a b Delsohn, Gary (October 1, 1992). "Developer's bid for Union falls through". The Sacramento Bee. p. 59.
  99. ^ "Sacramento Union names 'turn-around artist' new publisher". The Press-Tribune. Associated Press. January 19, 1990. p. 3.
  100. ^ "Union goes to full size". The Sacramento Union. February 7, 1990. p. 1.
  101. ^ "Union reorganizes management team". The Sacramento Union. August 14, 1990. p. 32.
  102. ^ a b "Extremeist Files: Joseph Francis Farah". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved 2026-06-04.
  103. ^ "Smith resigns post at Union". The Sacramento Bee. August 17, 1991. p. 59.
  104. ^ "Union Editor Farah quits". The Union. Sacramento, California. October 16, 1991. p. 14.
  105. ^ a b Krepel, Terry (2009-03-31). "The Return of the Western Journalism Center". HuffPost. Retrieved 2026-06-04.
  106. ^ "Investors purchase Sacramento Union". The Union. Sacramento, California. Associated Press. June 13, 1992. p. 10.
  107. ^ "Smith, Farah lead future Union team". The Union. Sacramento, California. June 17, 1992. p. 13.
  108. ^ "In Brief | Developer withdraws bid". The Modesto Bee. July 17, 1992. p. 25.
  109. ^ "Union transfers print functions to local firm". The Sacramento Bee. August 28, 1992. p. 43.
  110. ^ a b "Sacramento Union sold to print firm". The Californian. Salinas, California. Associated Press. October 30, 1992. p. 15.
  111. ^ Patterson, Darby (September 15, 1992). "Union's sale deadline extended for a week". The Union. Sacramento, California. p. 3.
  112. ^ "Agreement reached in Union sale". The Sacramento Bee. September 22, 1992. p. 51.
  113. ^ Patterson, Darby (October 30, 1992). "Local printing family purchases The Union". The Union. Sacramento, California. pp. A1, A6. Retrieved October 8, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  114. ^ Delsohn, Gary; Kinetz, Molly (October 30, 1992). "Local family of printers buys Union". The Sacramento Bee. p. 29.
  115. ^ Patterson, Darby (November 11, 1992). "Union names associate publisher". The Union. Sacramento, California. p. 3.
  116. ^ a b Martineau, Pamela (January 14, 1994). "We're history | City's longtime alternative voice finally falls silent". The Union. Sacramento, California. pp. A1, A4. Retrieved October 8, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  117. ^ "West's 'Oldest Daily' goes to three days a week schedule". Enterprise-Record. Chico, California ·. Associated Press. October 7, 1993. p. 11.
  118. ^ Eifertsen, Robyn S. (June 24, 1999). "Union morgue laid to rest in CSUS archives". The Sacramento Bee. p. 29.
  119. ^ Ackley, Michael (February 9, 2004). "We're Back! | The Rumors of Our Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated". The Sacramento Union. Archived from the original on August 4, 2004. Retrieved June 3, 2026.
  120. ^ a b Strom, Ron (September 28, 2004). "The Sacramento Union is back | Historic government-watchdog paper returns online and as magazine". WorldNetDaily. Archived from the original on June 3, 2005. Retrieved June 3, 2026.
  121. ^ Krepel, Terry (July 7, 2005). "State of the (Sacramento) Union". ConWebWatch. Archived from the original on March 27, 2006. Retrieved June 3, 2026.
  122. ^ "Grubbs Named Editor of Sacramento Union". The Sacramento Union. August 20, 2004. Archived from the original on September 24, 2004. Retrieved June 3, 2026.
  123. ^ Larson, Mark (2005-05-29). "Glossy version of Union sacks most of staff". Sacramento Business Journal. Archived from the original on 2008-06-27.
  124. ^ a b Turner, Melanie (March 5, 2009). "Sacramento Union folds again". Sacramento Business Journal. Archived from the original on February 20, 2011. Retrieved 2026-06-04.
  125. ^ a b ""Sacramento Union" Newspaper Dead at 143". KNBC. 2009-03-06. Retrieved 2024-10-06.
  126. ^ Turner, Melanie (March 5, 2007). "Sacramento Union buys content space in News & Review". Sacramento Business Journal. Archived from the original on February 21, 2009. Retrieved 2026-06-04.
  127. ^ a b Lange, Ariane (April 11, 2024). "The life and times of a hole in the ground on Sacramento's Capitol Mall". The Sacramento Bee. Archived from the original on July 24, 2025.
  128. ^ Desai, Ishani (April 3, 2024). "CalPERS sells major, long-vacant lot in downtown Sacramento to local band of Miwok tribe". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved June 3, 2026.
  129. ^ "Sacramento Union Newspaper. Archives". UC Davis Library. Retrieved 2026-06-08.
  130. ^ "Sacramento Daily Union". California Digital Newspaper Collection. Archived from the original on 2024-08-13. Retrieved 2026-06-08.
  131. ^ "Sacramento Daily Record-Union (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891". The Library of Congress. Archived from the original on 2026-04-02. Retrieved 2026-06-08.
  132. ^ "The Sacramento Union Archive". Newspapers.com. 20 May 1975. Retrieved 2026-06-08.
  133. ^ O'Day, E. Clarence (August 1920). "Stories From The Files-Narrative Which Unexpectedly Made Bret Harte a Literary Celebrity". Overland Monthly. LXXV (2).
  134. ^ "Three Crusading Early-day Editors Entered in Newspaper Hall of Fame". The Union. Associated Press. December 5, 1959. p. 2.
  135. ^ "Enter Newspaper Hall of Fame | Anthony of Early Union, Hearst Join Select Roll". The Sacramento Union. United Pres International. December 1, 1962. p. 1.
  136. ^ "Editor Enters Hall of Fame". The Sacramento Union. December 7, 1974. p. 2.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Sacramento_Union&oldid=1359965283"