Houston Post

{{Infobox newspaper | name = The Houston Post | logo = Houston Post Final.jpg | logo_size = 200px | image = | caption = | type = Daily newspaper | format = Broadsheet | owners = | publisher = | editor = | chief_editor = | associate_editor = | managing_editor = | news_editor = | campus_editor = | campus_chief = | opinion_editor = | photo_editor = | staff_writers = | founded = February 19, 1880 | political_position = | language = English | ceased_publication = April 18, 1995 | headquarters = Houston, Texas, United States | circulation = | sister_newspapers = | ISSN = | oclc = | website = }} [[File:HoustonPostHQ.JPG|thumb|''Houston Chronicle'' plant, former headquarters of the ''Houston Post'']] The '''''Houston Post''''' was a newspaper that had its headquarters in Houston, Texas, United States.<ref>"Benn's media," Volume 3. Benn Business Information Services, 2002. [https://books.google.com/books?id=zDPjAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Houston+Post%22+%22SW+Freeway%22 148]. Retrieved from Google Books on June 20, 2010. "Houston Post Co. 4747 SW Freeway, Houston, TX 77001"</ref> In 1995, the newspaper shut down, and its assets were purchased by the ''Houston Chronicle''.

==History== Gail Borden Johnson founded the ''Houston Post'' on February 19, 1880. He expanded the paper by acquiring the Houston ''Telegraph'', the legacy of the ''Telegraph and Texas Register'', which operated the first press in Texas after the Texas Revolution.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Houston: The Unknown City, 1836{{endash}}1946|last=Johnston|first=Marguerite|publisher=Texas A & M University Press|location=College Station|date=1991|pages=92{{endash}}93}}</ref> By 1884, however, the paper was financially distressed, when William R. Baker led a group of investors to bail out the publication. Despite their efforts, the original publication ceased in October 1884. The ''Houston Post'' was re-established with the merger of the ''Houston Morning Chronicle'' and the ''Houston Evening Journal'' on April 5, 1885. J. L. Watson was the business manager and Rienzi M. Johnston was the editor. Watson implemented the use of linotype machines to replace the process of manual typesetting. He gained financial control of the paper through acquiring more stock in the company.<ref name=kleiner>{{Cite web|series=Handbook of Texas Online|first=Diana J. |last=Kleiner|title=Houston Post|access-date= February 10, 2020|url=http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/eeh04|date=March 27, 2017|publisher=Texas State Historical Association}}</ref>

Short story writer O. Henry worked briefly for the ''Post'' in 1895 and 1896. He had to leave his position at the ''Post'' when he was indicted for embezzlement from previous employment at a bank in Austin.{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}}

Former Texas governor and ''Post'' managing editor William P. Hobby was made president of the paper in 1924. After Hobby acquired a controlling stake in the ''Post'' in 1939, his family owned the paper for the next four decades.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kleiner |first1=Diana |title=Houston Post |url=https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/houston-post |website=TSHA |publisher=Texas State Historical Association |access-date=15 April 2024}}</ref> Amid declining sales, the ''Post'' was sold in 1983 to the ''Toronto Sun''. H&C Communications was created in the aftermath of the sale for the Hobby family to retain control of the broadcasting assets that consisted of TV stations across the U.S., especially local NBC affiliate KPRC-TV, and radio station KPRC (AM). Four years later, MediaNews Group, led by William Dean Singleton, bought the paper.

The ''Houston Post'' building, in the 1970s, had contemporary artwork, slate floors, and wood-grain concrete walls. Tours of the building and its facilities were given at the time.<ref>{{cite news|last=Lomax|first=John Nova|title=Five Fun Things for Kids to Do in Houston in 1972 That Don't Seem Fun at All|work=Houston Press|date=May 21, 2012|url=http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/2012/05/five_fun_things_to_do_with_the.php?page=2|access-date=February 10, 2020}}</ref>

The ''Houston Post'' later closed permanently, with the final edition printed on April 18, 1995. Its assets and liabilities were acquired by Hearst Corporation, the publisher of the ''Post''{{'}}s rival daily ''Houston Chronicle''. The Hearst Corporation acquired the Houston Post headquarters, which included the newspaper's printing facilities and five offset press lines. Hearst began to use the facilities as part of the production of the ''Houston Chronicle''.<ref>"[http://www.hearst.com/press-room/pr-19950418a.php HOUSTON POST PUBLISHES LAST EDITION; HEARST ACQUIRES OPERATING ASSETS] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100921111640/http://hearst.com/press-room/pr-19950418a.php |date=2010-09-21 }}." Hearst Corporation. April 18, 1995. Retrieved on May 28, 2010.</ref> ''Houston Chronicle'' newspapers were distributed to former ''Houston Post'' subscribers.<ref>Staff. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20121019052834/http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1995_1270140 To our readers]." ''Houston Chronicle''. Tuesday April 25, 1995. A1. Retrieved on May 28, 2010.</ref> The facility now serves as a ''Houston Chronicle'' plant and the headquarters of the ''Houston Chronicle'' Spanish newspaper ''La Voz de Houston''.<ref name="MorenoLaVoz">Moreno, Jenalia. "[http://www.chron.com/business/article/Chronicle-buys-La-Voz-Spanish-newspaper-1972980.php Chronicle buys La Voz Spanish newspaper]." ''Houston Chronicle''. Friday December 3, 2004. Retrieved on January 8, 2012.</ref>

==Final sale== The Hearst Corporation, parent company of the ''Houston Chronicle'', bought out the ''Houston Post'' from Consolidated Papers, Inc. on April 18, 1995, ending a 94-year-old crosstown rivalry. Hearst shut the paper down, reportedly for the purpose of eliminating local competition for readership and advertisers. The former owners cited the increasing cost of newsprint, which they had expected to rise up to $39 million from $26 million the previous year. The ''Houston Post'' reported an average daily circulation of over 287,000 that year, with a Sunday circulation of almost 317,000.<ref>{{cite news|date=April 19, 1995|access-date=February 10, 2020|work=The New York Times|series=The Times Machine|last=Verhovek|first=Sam Howe|title=Houston Post Bought and Sold by Rival|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1995/04/19/695995.html?pageNumber=70|url-access=subscription}}</ref> The ''Houston Post'' did not announce the sale of the paper in its final edition on April 18.<ref name=kleiner/>

==Availability of ''Houston Post'' articles== {{refimprove section |date=March 2026}} Some ''Houston Post'' articles had been made available in the archives of the ''Houston Chronicle'' website, but by 2005 they were removed. The ''Houston Chronicle'' online editor Mike Read said that the ''Houston Chronicle'' decided to remove ''Houston Post'' articles from the website after the 2001 United States Supreme Court decision in ''New York Times Co. v. Tasini''. Difficulties complying with the terms of the decision caused the paper to take the entirety of the archives down.<ref name="NewkirkJim">{{cite web | archive-date=July 14, 2005 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050714082919/http://blogs.chron.com/aboutchron/archives/2005/07/houston_post_ar.html | url=http://blogs.chron.com/aboutchron/archives/2005/07/houston_post_ar.html | title=Houston Post archives permanently unavailable online, maybe, likely, really... | work=Houston Chronicle | date=July 1, 2005 | accessdate=March 27, 2026 | last=Newkirk | first=Jim | quote=...the Post archives are permanently unavailable to the public online. The decision not to place the Post archives online largely is due to difficulty complying with the requirements of the Tasini vs. The New York Times decision, explained online editor Mike Read.}}</ref>

The Houston Public Library's collection includes both the 1880–1995 newspaper archives and the 1976–1994 ''Houston Post Index'' on microfilm. The 1880–1900 archive is in the Texas and Local History Department of the Julia Ideson Building, while the 1900–1995 archive is in the Jesse H. Jones Building.{{cn|date=March 2026}}

The University of Houston's library collection contains the 1880–1995 archive and the 1976–1979 & 1987–1994 index on microfilm.<ref name=NewkirkJim/>

The National Endowment for the Humanities has online searchable past issues from 1893 to 1903.{{citation needed|date=December 2010}}

The Dallas Public Library has the archive, covering February 23, 1881–June 1884, March 1887–December 1906, and June 1977–March 1995.{{cn|date=March 2026}}

Online archives of the ''Houston Post'' are available in{{vague|date=March 2026}} GenealogyBank and Newspapers.com via paywall.{{cn|date=March 2026}}

==Gallery== <gallery> File:"Houston Post" (April 3, 1917).jpeg|Front page of the ''Houston Post'' on April 3, 1917 File:Houston Post Press Room.jpeg|A view of the press room, with rotary plates waiting to be locked into the press File:Houston Post Building, Houston, Texas (1904).jpg|Houston Post Building, Houston, Texas (postcard, circa 1904) File:World Famous Red Headed Widows, Houston, Texas.jpg|World Famous Red Headed Widows,{{citation needed|date=June 2022}} Houston, Texas (postcard, {{Circa|1909}}) </gallery>

==See also== {{Portal|Texas|Journalism}} * Dan Cook * Leon Hale * Mickey Herskowitz * Marjorie Paxson * Phi Slama Jama * List of newspapers in Texas * Houston Post-Dispatch Building

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20051024013800/http://archives.cjr.org/year/95/5/houston.asp ''Rancor and Romance...''] - Marty Graham * [http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/Pre_96/April95/218.txt.html U.S DOJ approves Hearst purchase of ''Post''] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20120926045545/http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/Pre_96/April95/218.txt.html Archive]) - U.S. Department of Justice - April 18, 1995 * [http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/ricewrc/00211/rice-00211.html Guide to the Rienzi Melville Johnston papers, 1899-1926] * [http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/ricewrc/00127/rice-00127.html Guide to the Marguerite Johnston Barnes Personal Papers, 1926-1998] * {{Handbook of Texas|id=eeh04|name=''Houston Post''}} * High-resolution scans of several ''Houston Post'' issues from 1890 - 1925 at the [http://digital.lib.uh.edu/cdm4/results.php?CISOOP1=any&CISOFIELD1=CISOSEARCHALL&CISOROOT=/p15195coll2&CISOBOX1=Post University of Houston Libraries] * Post Mortem: Though not unexpected, the death of the ''Houston Post'' was still a surprise. [http://www.houstonpress.com/1995-04-27/news/post-mortem/] * Fleck, Tim and Jim Simmon. "[http://www.houstonpress.com/1995-06-01/news/deano-s-disclosure/ Deano's Disclosure: Singleton signed the ''Post''{{'}}s death warrant long before it expired]." ''Houston Press''. June 1, 1995. * [https://texashistory.unt.edu/explore/titles/t00122/ ''The Houston Daily Post (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903''] hosted by the [http://texashistory.unt.edu/ Portal to Texas History]. * [https://texashistory.unt.edu/explore/titles/t00014/ ''The Houston Post (Houston, Tex.) 1903-1924''] hosted by the [http://texashistory.unt.edu/ Portal to Texas History]. * [http://www.dallaslibrary2.org/dallashistory/newspapers_E-L.php Dallas Public Library, Dallas History and Archives Newspaper Holdings] * [https://www.genealogybank.com/explore/newspapers/all/usa/texas/houston/houston-post Houston Post archive from 1886 to 1995] at GenealogyBank * [https://www.newspapers.com/paper/the-houston-post/1549/ Houston Post archive from 1880 to 1995] at newspapers.com

Category:1880 establishments in Texas Category:1995 disestablishments in Texas Category:Daily newspapers published in Texas Category:Defunct daily newspapers Category:Defunct newspapers published in Texas Category:History of Houston Category:Newspapers published in Houston Category:Newspapers disestablished in 1995 Category:Newspapers established in 1880