Frank L. Stanley Sr.
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Frank L. Stanley Sr. (1906 – October 19, 1974) was an American newspaper publisher and editor. Stanley co-founded and became sole publisher of '' The Louisville Defender'', the city's leading Black newspaper that he led for 38 years. ''The Louisville Defender'' published in the face of regular threats and attacks, persevering under Stanley's belief that "racism is not insoluble." Stanley was general president of
Alpha Phi Alpha Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. () is the oldest intercollegiate List of African-American fraternities, historically African American Fraternities and sororities, fraternity. It was initially a literary and social studies club organized in the ...
and a civil rights activist. He drafted the resolution that led to desegregation of higher education in Kentucky, and chaired desegregation committees for the U.S. Secretary of War. Stanley was selected twice as a juror for the Pulitzer Prize Award committee.


Biography


Early life and education

Stanley was born in 1906, in
Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
to Helen Stanley from
Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...
and his father from
Cicero, Illinois Cicero is a town in Cook County, Illinois, United States, and a suburb of Chicago. As of the 2020 census, the population was 85,268, making it the 11th-most populous municipality in Illinois. The town is named after Marcus Tullius Cicero, a R ...
, then moved with his mother back to her hometown. Mrs. Stanley was in the restaurant business and ran the Allen Hotel at 26th and Madison Streets. Stanley graduated from Central High School in 1925 and then attended
Atlanta University Clark Atlanta University (CAU or Clark Atlanta) is a private, Methodist, historically black research university in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It was founded on September19, 1865, as Atlanta University, it was the first HBCU in the Southe ...
on a football scholarship. Before graduating in 1929, he was voted All-American in football in addition to being captain of the basketball team, editor of the student paper, and president of the student council. He later received his Master of English degree from the University of Cincinnati.


Career

Stanley began his career as a teacher. Before getting his master's, he taught for two years at
Jackson State University Jackson State University (Jackson State or JSU) is a Public university, public Historically Black colleges and universities, historically black research university in Jackson, Mississippi. It is a member of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and ...
(then named Jackson College). After graduate school, he returned to his high school alma mater, where he taught English and advised the student newspaper. In 1933, Stanley joined the staff of a fledgling newspaper first established in 1925 by
Robert Sengstacke Abbott Robert Sengstacke Abbott (December 24, 1870 – February 29, 1940) was an American lawyer, newspaper publisher and editor. Abbott founded ''The Chicago Defender'' in 1905, which grew to have the highest circulation of any black-owned newspaper in ...
, founder of ''
The Chicago Defender ''The Chicago Defender'' is a Chicago-based online African-American newspaper. It was founded in 1905 by Robert S. Abbott and was once considered the "most important" newspaper of its kind. Abbott's newspaper reported and campaigned against Jim ...
'', the highest-circulation black-owned newspaper in the country. Abbott had recruited local editorial staff to develop '' The Louisville Defender'' that was owned by Abbott and printed in Chicago, but covered Louisville from a Black perspective. By 1936, Stanley was the paper's general manager.


''Louisville Defender''

After Robert Abbott died in 1940, the Defender incorporated as its own private business with Stanley as one of three co-owners. According to his son, Kenneth Stanley, there were three other Black papers at the time and the Defender was known for "its militancy," earning scorn from white Louisville. Stanley weathered continuous threats, including an ultimatum from the mayor to leave town in 48 hours. The offices were bombed. Trucks were burned. Windows were shot up. An entire edition was torched. Advertisers walked out. Nevertheless, during Stanley's time as the Defender's publisher, it earned more than 35 journalism awards. Among them were the President's Special Service Award of the National Newspaper Publishers Association and the
Wendell Willkie Wendell Lewis Willkie (born Lewis Wendell Willkie; February 18, 1892 – October 8, 1944) was an American lawyer, corporate executive and the 1940 History of the Republican Party (United States), Republican nominee for president. Willkie appeale ...
Award for Public Service from
Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...
. His column, "People, Places and Problems" was nationally syndicated. In 1950, the city's major newspaper,
The Courier-Journal The ''Courier Journal'', also known as the ''Louisville Courier Journal'' (and informally ''The C-J'' or ''The Courier''), and called ''The Courier-Journal'' between November 8, 1868, and October 29, 2017, is a daily newspaper published in ...
, wrote,“Much of the credit for the even and amiable pace Kentucky has maintained in its working out of race relations problems must be given the Defender.”


Civil rights leadership

After
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
ended, the U.S. Secretary of War
James Forrestal James Vincent Forrestal (February 15, 1892 – May 22, 1949) was the last Cabinet (government), cabinet-level United States Secretary of the Navy and the first United States Secretary of Defense. Forrestal came from a very strict middle-cla ...
named Stanley to a panel of inspectors to review troop conditions in occupied Europe in 1946. Two years later, Stanley returned for a second inspection that informed the order to desegregate the Army. In 1950, Stanley authored the Commonwealth Senate Resolution Bill #53 in the Kentucky General Assembly, leading to the end of institutional segregation in higher education. Stanley was elected national president of
Alpha Phi Alpha Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. () is the oldest intercollegiate List of African-American fraternities, historically African American Fraternities and sororities, fraternity. It was initially a literary and social studies club organized in the ...
in 1955 and there had correspondence with fraternity member
Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister, civil and political rights, civil rights activist and political philosopher who was a leader of the civil rights move ...
Kentucky Governor
Bert Combs Bertram Thomas Combs (August 13, 1911 – December 4, 1991) was an American jurist and politician from the Commonwealth of Kentucky. After serving on the Kentucky Court of Appeals, he was elected the 50th Governor of Kentucky in 1959 on his se ...
commissioned Stanley to explore the establishment of a human rights commission for the commonwealth, which was established by law in 1960.


Posthumous honors

Stanley was inducted into the
University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical ...
Journalism Hall of Fame in 1983, as well as into the inaugural class of the Kentucky Human Rights Commission Hall of Fame in 2000. The Frank L. Stanley Papers are at the
University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public university, public research university in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. Chartered in 1798 as the Jefferson Seminary, it became in the 19t ...
Libraries' Special Collections and Archives.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stanley, Frank L. Jr. 1906 births 1974 deaths University of Cincinnati alumni 20th-century American newspaper editors Mass media people from Louisville, Kentucky Alpha Phi Alpha presidents Clark Atlanta Panthers football players Clark Atlanta Panthers men's basketball players 20th-century American educators Schoolteachers from Kentucky Jackson State University faculty People from Chicago Central High School (Louisville, Kentucky) alumni