Alfred Horatio Belo

Alfred Horatio Belo
Born May 1839
Salem, North Carolina
Died April 19, 1901 (aged 61)
Asheville, North Carolina
Place of burial Salem Cemetery, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Allegiance  Confederate States of America
Service/branch  Confederate States Army
Years of service 186165
Rank Colonel
Commands held North Carolina 55th North Carolina
Battles/wars American Civil War
Other work Founder of The Dallas Morning News

Alfred Horatio Belo (May 1839 – April 19, 1901) was the founder of The Dallas Morning News newspaper in Dallas, Texas, along with business partner George Bannerman Dealey. The company A. H. Belo Corporation, owner of The Dallas Morning News, was named in his honor.

Early life

Belo was born in Salem, North Carolina in May 1839. He was highly educated from an early age.

During the Civil War, Belo fought for the Confederacy. Belo was an officer in the Civil War for the North Carolina 55th Regiment. He was wounded in the Battle of Gettysburg and then again in the Battle of Cold Harbor.[1]

Belo's beginnings in business

At the end of the Civil War, Belo moved to the Houston area in search of job opportunities. He met newswriter Willard Richardson, who published the Galveston Daily News and the Texas Almanac (1857). This company was known as The News. Belo's intelligence led Richardson to ask him to become a partner, and the company was renamed Richardson, Belo, & Co. After Richardson's death, Belo became the sole owner, and renamed the company A. H. Belo & Co. in 1881.

Belo incorporated the newly invented telephone by successfully linking his home to the Galveston Daily News. The newspaper was recognized for taking advantage of the latest printing technology available at the time.

The Dallas Morning News

In 1885, Belo sent George Bannerman Dealey to Dallas to help establish a sister newspaper in that city. Dealey had been working his way up in the company since 1874, and Belo had confidence in him. He was given the title of business manager to oversee the creation of the newspaper (which formed the first newspaper chain.) The first edition was printed October 1, 1885. The building where the newspaper was headquartered made use of the city's first commercial electric lights.

The Alfred Horatio Belo Mansion in Dallas, Texas.

Personal life

Belo married Nettie Ennis.[2] They had a son, Alfred Horatio Belo, Jr., who married Helen Ponder, and a daughter, Jeannette Belo, who married Dr. Charles Peabody.[2] They built the Alfred Horatio Belo House in Dallas, Texas one year before he died.[2]

Death

Belo died on April 19, 1901 in his family's summer home in Asheville, North Carolina.[3] Belo had never fully recovered from his battle wounds and sought comfort and relief many months out of the year outside of Texas.

References

  1. Segura, Judith Garrett. "Texas Newspaper Foundation Hall of Fame inductees 2007". Archived from the original on August 28, 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-09.
  2. 1 2 3 "A History of the Belo Mansion & Dallas Bar Association". Dallas Bar Association. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
  3. "Col A. H. Belo". findagrave.com. Retrieved 2008-05-09.

External links


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