G. Duncan Bauman
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George Duncan Bauman (April 12, 1912 – April 14, 2003) was the publisher of the ''
St. Louis Globe-Democrat The ''St. Louis Globe-Democrat'' was a daily print newspaper based in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1852 until 1986. The paper began operations on July 1, 1852, as ''The Daily Missouri Democrat'', changing its name to ''The Missouri Democrat'' in 18 ...
'' from 1967 until 1984. He was born in
Humboldt, Iowa Humboldt is a city in Humboldt County, Iowa, United States. The population was 4,792 at the time of the 2020 census, gaining 102 people over the 2010 total. History Frank A. Gotch Park (just south of present-day Humboldt and Dakota City) was ...
, in 1912, the son of Peter William Bauman, Sr. (1886-1976) and Mae Marguerite (Duncan) Bauman (1890-1971), daughter of Alexander Hood Duncan (1859-1942), who owned a furniture store and mortuary in Humboldt.Obituary, Marysville Journal-Tribune, 2003-04-15 at p. 2. He had two siblings: a sister, Virginia Mae (Mrs. Louis P. Matthei, M.D.) (1915-1996) and Peter William, Jr. (Mary Jane Christine) (1919-2001). George Bauman graduated from Loyola Academy in Chicago, class of 1930, and attended and graduated from
Loyola University Loyola University is one of several Jesuit Universities named for St. Ignatius of Loyola. Loyola University may refer to: Democratic Republic of the Congo *Loyola University of Congo, Kinshasa, Congo Spain * Loyola University Andalusia, Sevilla ...
in
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from 1930 to 1935. After graduation, Bauman began his work in journalism as a reporter for the ''
Chicago Herald-Examiner The ''Chicago American'' was an American newspaper published in Chicago under various names from 1900 until its dissolution in 1975. Its afternoon publication was known as the ''Chicago American'', while its evening publication was known as the ...
''.Duncan Bauman Resume
at St. Louis Mercantile Library website (University of Missouri-St. Louis), www.umsl.edu, accessed 2010-12-18.
There, he was involved in the surrender of
Robert George Irwin Robert George Irwin (August 5, 1907 – 1975) was an American artist, sculptor, and recurring mental hospital patient who pleaded guilty to killing three people on Easter weekend in 1937 in the Beekman Hill area of New York City's Turtle Bay n ...
, wanted for the Easter weekend murder of girlfriend
Veronica Gedeon Veronica Gedeon (1917 – March 28, 1937) was a 20-year-old''Girl, 20, And Mother Slain With Lodger In Home In 50th Street'', New York Times, March 29, 1937, pg. 1. commercial model from Long Island City whose murder (along with her mother, Mary, ...
, her mother, and a boarder. The ''Herald-Examiner'' had paid Irwin $5,000 for the exclusive rights to Irwin’s confession and surrender to authorities. Bauman temporarily left journalism in 1939, moving to
St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...
to work as an architectural representative for the paint manufacturer
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Inc. In 1943, however, he returned, joining the ''St. Louis Globe-Democrat'' as a reporter. He became the assistant city editor (while attending
Washington University School of Law The Washington University School of Law (WashU Law) is the law school of Washington University in St. Louis, a private research university in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1867, it is the oldest continuously operating law school west of the ...
, where he graduated in 1948). Bauman was promoted to the newspaper’s personnel manager in 1951. In 1959, after the newspaper had been purchased by the Newhouse family in 1955 and had entered into a joint operating agreement with its principal competitor, the ''
St. Louis Post-Dispatch The ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' is a regional newspaper based in St. Louis, Missouri, serving the St. Louis metropolitan area. It is the largest daily newspaper in the metropolitan area by circulation, surpassing the '' Belleville News-Democra ...
'', he became the ''Globe-Democrats business manager. In 1967, he was named to succeed Richard Amberg as its publisher. A major difference between the St. Louis dailies concerned their policies of civic involvement. While the
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family’s ''Post-Dispatch'' formally prohibited its staff from most involvement in local organizations to avoid conflicts of interest, the ''Globe-Democrat'' encouraged it, and Bauman was particularly active in St. Louis civic organizations. From 1957 to 1961 he served as the secretary of the St. Louis Board of Election Commissioners. The editorial position of the ''Globe-Democrat'' was more conservative and blue-collar-oriented than position of the ''Post-Dispatch''.“Globe-Democrat to halt presses after 131 years,” Syracuse Herald Journal, 1983-11-08, at p. A-6. In 1962 Bauman hired Patrick J. Buchanan, newly graduated from the
Missouri School of Journalism The Missouri School of Journalism, housed under the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri, Columbia, is one of the oldest formal journalism schools in the world. The school provides academic education and practical training in of journalis ...
, to the editorial page staff. A special congressional committee investigating efforts by the
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to discredit
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 ...
suggested that a March 30, 1968 ''Globe-Democrat'' editorial critical of Dr. King was inspired and ghostwritten by the FBI, which considered the newspaper’s publisher to be “especially cooperative to the bureau.”Report of the Select Committee on Assassinations, U.S. House of Representatives, 95th Congress, 2d sess. p. 439-41 (Washington, D.C., U.S. Government Printing Office, 1979). While recognizing that the ''Globe-Democrat''’s editorial was protected by the
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, the Committee was highly critical of “the ease with which the Bureau had been able to use the newspaper for its counterintelligence initiatives.” The Committee found that, not only did the FBI’s conduct “contribute to the hostile climate that surrounded Dr. King, it was morally reprehensible, illegal, felonious, and unconstitutional.” In 1983, the Pulitzers and Samuel Irving Newhouse, Jr. entered into an agreement under which the ''Globe-Democrat'' would fold, and Newhouse News Service would receive a share of the resulting profits of the Post-Dispatch. Thus, in October 1983 Bauman announced the end of his newspaper, effective December 31, 1983. However, the
United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division The United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division is a division of the U.S. Department of Justice that enforces U.S. antitrust law. It has exclusive jurisdiction over federal criminal antitrust prosecutions, and it shares jurisdict ...
insisted that Newhouse seek out a purchaser, and in December 1983 a sale to Jeffrey M. Gluck was announced. Bauman retired, however, and by 1986 the newspaper closed for good. Bauman was married twice: First to Nora Catherine Kelly (1913-1990), from 1938 until her death. In 1991, Bauman married Lucy Beatrice (Hencke) Hume, widow of Fred Hume, a St. Louis businessman who had worked with Bauman at the ''Globe-Democrat'' in the 1940s. Bauman had no children. In 1999 Bauman and co-author Mary Kimbrough published a memoir, ''Behind the Headlines: Stories About People and Events Which Shaped St. Louis''. In 2006, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the
Missouri History Museum The Missouri History Museum in Forest Park, St. Louis, Missouri, showcases Missouri history. It is operated by the Missouri Historical Society, which was founded in 1866. Museum admission is free through a public subsidy by the Metropolita ...
.G. Duncan Bauman
at Missouri History Museum website, www.mohistory.org, accessed 2010-12-18.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bauman, G. Duncan 1912 births 2003 deaths American newspaper executives American newspaper publishers (people) St. Louis Globe-Democrat people American male journalists 20th-century American journalists People from Humboldt, Iowa Washington University in St. Louis alumni Washington University School of Law alumni