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Abstract
This dissertation examines the founding and development of the St. Louis Argus newspaper, an African American newspaper founded in St. Louis, Missouri in 1912, during the twentieth century. It explores the growth of the business and the affect of its publishers on the political and social life of St. Louis. The study adds to the growing number of historical works on black newspapers and black newspaper publishers.
This work consists of five chronological chapters, an introduction and an epilogue. Chapter One describes Joseph E. Mitchell's early life and the founding of the St. Louis Argus Publishing Company, the corporate entity under which the St. Louis Argus newspaper was published, from 1898–1929. Chapter Two describes the growth of the St. Louis Argus, in its first decade as a political and social influence in St. Louis from 1915–1929. Chapter Three traces the struggle of the newspaper during the Depression and the final years of J. E. Mitchell's leadership of the company from 1930–1953. Chapter Four recounts the story of J. E. Mitchell's political and community activities in during the Depression and World War II decades from 1930–1952. Chapter Five highlights the struggles of Frank W. Mitchell, Sr. and his mother, Nannie Mitchell Turner during their twenty-five years leading the St. Louis Argus newspaper from 1953–1975. The epilogue considers the leadership of Dr. Eugene Mitchell and the decline of the St. Louis Argus.
