Joseph Simon Newman (December 6, 1891 – November 10, 1960) was an American entrepreneur and writer. He was a founder of the Newman-Stern Company, and gained renown as a writer of both light and serious verse.

Biography

Joseph Newman was born in

New London, Ohio New London is a village (United States)#Ohio, village in Huron County, Ohio, Huron County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,416 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History The first permanent settlement at New London was made ...

, the son of Simon and Hanna Cohn Newman, who then moved to

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

. A graduate of Central High School, Newman attended the

Case Institute of Technology Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a Private university, private research university in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It was established in 1967 by a merger between Western Reserve University and the Case Institute of Technology. Case ...

before withdrawing to go into business. He married Babette Weidenthal, daughter of Cleveland journalist Maurice Weidenthal, in 1913. Two years later, with brother Arthur Samuel Newman and partner Arnold Stern, he founded the Electro-Set Co. to manufacture

educational toys Educational toys (sometimes also called "instructive toys") are objects of play, generally designed for children. Educational Toys help with motivation, helping kids use their imagination while still pulling in the real world. These toys are imp ...

, some being his own

inventions An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea, or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an ...

. The firm soon added sporting goods to its line and became the Newman-Stern Company. Newman meanwhile began writing columns on electricity for ''

The Plain Dealer ''The Plain Dealer'' is the major newspaper of Cleveland, Ohio; it is a major national newspaper. In the fall of 2019, it ranked 23rd in U.S. newspaper circulation, a significant drop since March 2013, when its circulation ranked 17th daily an ...

'' and contributing humorous rhymes to Ted Robinson's "Philosopher of Folly" column under the pseudonym, "Prof. Cy N. Tific." He was a member of the City Club of Cleveland, and from 192558 collaborated with Carl D. Friebolin in writing lyrics (775 in all) for the club's annual Anvil Revue. His first volume of verse, ''Poems For Penguins'', was published in 1941; it was followed by ''It Could Be Verse!'' (1948), ''Perishable Poems'' (1952), and ''Verse Yet!'' (1959). After his retirement from business, in 1952 he began to write a weekly column for the

Cleveland Press The ''Cleveland Press'' was a daily American newspaper published in Cleveland, Ohio from November 2, 1878, through June 17, 1982. From 1928 to 1966, the paper's editor was Louis B. Seltzer. Known for many years as one of the country's most in ...

under the heading "It Could Be Verse". In 1957, he began to contribute a daily column under the title "Joe Newman's Frying Pan". Among many other activities, Newman taught at Cleveland College and served as trustee of The Cleveland Play House. Newman died at the age of 68 in Cleveland, Ohio. His poem " Black Cross" has been recorded by

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

on ''The Minnesota Hotel Tape, 1961'', and by

Lord Buckley Lord Richard Buckley (born Richard Myrle Buckley; April 5, 1906 – November 12, 1960) was an American stand-up comedian and recording artist, who in the 1940s and 1950s created a character that was, according to ''The New York Times'', "an unl ...

on ''Way Out Humor''. His poem "Paradise Almost Lost" was recorded by

Biff Rose Biff Rose, born Paul Conrad Rose III (October 15, 1937 – July 25, 2023), was an American comedian and singer-songwriter. Biography Rose was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on October 15, 1937.

on '' The Thorn in Mrs. Rose's Side''. The foreword of ''It Could Be Verse'' was written by Louis Untermeyer. He is the uncle of actor

Paul Newman Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and activist. He was the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Paul Newman, numerous awards ...

.Genealogy website entry for Paul Newman

Bibliography

* ''Poems For Penguins and Other Lyrical Lapses.'' New York: Greenberg, 1941 * ''It Could Be Verse!'' Cleveland and New York: The World Publishing Company, 1948 * ''Perishable Poems.'' Cleveland and New York: The World Publishing Company, 1952 * ''Verse Yet!'' Cleveland and New York: The World Publishing Company, 1959 * ''One Summer Day'' Cleveland and New York: The World Publishing Company, 1962 (posthumously)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Newman, Joseph Simon 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American poets 1960 deaths 1891 births People from New London, Ohio