Samuel Orace Dunn (March 8, 1877 – January 4, 1958) was an American businessman and magazine editor, specializing in transportation.

Biography

Dunn was born in

Bloomfield, Iowa Bloomfield is a city and the county seat of Davis County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,682 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Bloomfield was incorporated on January 3, 1855. On October 12, 1864 a small group of ...

, on March 8, 1877. He began to set type at the age of 12. He learned the printing trade after graduating from high school, was editor of the Quitman (Mo.) ''Record'' (1895–1896) and associate editor of the Maryville (Mo.) ''Tribune'' (1896–1900). From 1900 to 1904, he worked as a reporter, and later editorial writer, for the ''

Kansas City Journal The ''Kansas City Journal-Post'' was a newspaper in Kansas City, Missouri, from 1854 to 1942. It was the oldest newspaper in the city when it went out of business. History It started as a weekly, ''The Kansas City Enterprise,'' on September 23, ...

'' (in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

), and in 1904 to 1907 was connected with the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'' as railroad editor and editorial writer. In 1907, he became managing editor of ''

Railway Age ''Railway Age'' is an American trade magazine for the rail transport industry. It was founded in 1856 in Chicago (the United States' major railroad hub) and is published monthly by Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation. History The magazine ...

'' (then named '' Railroad Age Gazette''), and its editor four years later. He remained editor-in-chief of the then-weekly magazine for 37 years, from 1911 to 1948. He also contributed articles to several other periodicals and lectured frequently on transportation subjects and was an outspoken advocate on behalf of the railroad industry. In 1931, Dunn was elected chairman of the board and

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation Simmons-Boardman Publishing is an American publisher, specializing in industry publications. It is headquartered in New York City, New York, and has offices in Chicago, Omaha, and Falmouth, Cornwall, UK. The company was created from a merger of '' ...

, having previously served as one of the company's vice-presidents. He retired as board chairman in 1950. At the time of his death he was the chairman emeritus of Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation. He wrote: * ''American Transportation Question'' (1912) * ''Government Ownership of Railways'' (1913) * ''Railway Regulation or Ownership?'' (1918) * ''Public Ownership of Public Utilities'' (1919), with William Bennett Munro, John Martin, and Delos Franklin Wilcox "Sam Dunn Day" was held at the Chicago Railroad Fair on August 16, 1948, to commemorate his contributions to the railroad industry. He was referred to as "Uncle Orace" from his middle name by nephews. The middle name was used by other male family members, but the origin of the name is unknown. Dunn died on January 4, 1958, at Grant Hospital in

Chicago 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 ...

References

* 1877 births 1958 deaths American magazine editors American newspaper reporters and correspondents American newspaper editors American male journalists Rail transport writers People from Bloomfield, Iowa Chicago Tribune people {{US-journalist-19thC-stub