Samuel E. Morss (December 15, 1852 – October 21, 1903) was an American journalist, the co-founder with William Rockhill Nelson of The Kansas City Star newspaper and later owner and editor of the Indianapolis Sentinel.[1]

Morss was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the son of Samuel S. Morss, who later served as Mayor of Fort Wayne.[1][2] He and Nelson purchased the Ft. Wayne Sentinel in 1879. In 1880 they sold the Sentinel and founded The Kansas City Star. Health problems forced Morss to sell his interest in the newspaper to Nelson and travel to Europe.[1]

Morss worked at The Chicago Times from 1883 to 1887. On February 1, 1888, Morss purchased the Indianapolis Sentinel and became its editor. He was elected chairman of the Indiana delegation to the 1892 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois. In April 1893, U.S. President Grover Cleveland appointed him as Consul-General of the United States to France. He remained in that post until 1897, when he returned to work full time at the Sentinel.[1]

On October 21, 1903, Morss fell 30 feet (9.1 m) from his third-floor office window onto the sidewalk on Illinois Street in Indianapolis, Indiana. He died on the operating table at St. Vincent's Hospital. The fall was believed to be accidental, possibly caused by a heart attack.[1][3]

Morss was inducted into the Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame in the class of 1966.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Awang, Haroon Haji (28 January 1966). "Samuel E. Morss 1966". Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame. Retrieved February 8, 2022. This source incorrectly gives the date of Morss' death as October 20, 1903.
  2. ^ "Fort Wayne Mayors". Meet the Mayor. City of Fort Wayne. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  3. ^ "S. E. MORSS FALLS TO DEATH. His Body Plunges from Window in Private Office to the Sidewalk Thirty Feet Below. END IS ALMOST INSTANT. MR. MORSS EXPIRES ON OPERATING TABLE IN ST. VINCENT'S HOSPITAL. Frightful Accident Seen by Several Who Believe He Lost His Balance in the Window. LIFE STORY OF ENERGY. HIGH CHARACTER AND ABILITY LED TO POLITICAL SUCCESS. Men Who Knew Him Intimately Express Profound Appreciation of Mr. Morss—Funeral at Ft. Wayne". The Indianapolis Journal. Vol. 53, no. 295. October 22, 1903. Page 1, columns 6-7. Retrieved January 27, 2022 – via Hoosier State Chronicles.
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