So I asked. When he died in 1944, he had accumulated more than 1.5 million acres, and The Times was one of the most profitable newspapers in the country. The family patriarch, Gen. Harrison Otis, bought the newspaper in 1886. Newspapers alone, though, could not sustain the company. I alternate between fiction books and non-fiction. His own mother, and the business allies who contributed to her beloved Music Center, pressured him to fire the Times music critic, Martin Bernheimer. Dropbox is also amazing and becoming essential, especially as we are located in multiple places. My guess is that all these reasons are true. snuggles: a child-weary woman tells all. My city has Chandlers with their legacies and their fortunes, but we no longer have Their Times. She may have single-handedly raised the money for the Music Center and transformed Los Angeles cultural life, but she was a cold and petty tyrant, according to McDougal. "He blasted all of them," recalls a bemused Howard Gilmore, '55, a longtime friend and hunting companion of Chandler's. Otis Chandler is a famous Family Member. People born under this sign are popular because they're sincere and avoid conflict. Chandler Otis. Kit Rachlis, a former senior projects editor at The Times, is editor-in-chief of Los Angeles magazine, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Before and after photos from space show storms effect on California reservoirs, Dramatic before and after photos from space show epic snow blanketing SoCal mountains, The chance of a lifetime: Five friends ski the tallest mountain in Los Angeles, Shocking, impossible gas bills push restaurants to the brink of closures, Review: A reimagined Secret Garden fails to flower anew at the Ahmanson Theatre, High school basketball: Southern California and Northern California Regional results and updated pairings, Im visiting all 600 L.A. spots on the National Register. In Silicon Valley we take it for granted that everyone has a smart phone now, but its not true nationally or globally yet. University of Georgia star defensive lineman Jalen Carter projected as a top pick in the upcoming NFL draft faces charges of reckless driving and racing in connection with a crash that . on April 17, 2018, There are no reviews yet. James, 1794, Minerva, 1797, and Olive, 1799, were all born in Rutland county, Vermont. I, like you, felt the odd combination of pride, curiosity and shame for peeking into the family photos of Los Angeles' most prominent family. Over the years, some name-calling ensued. Otis and Tom Johnson had understood this in a way that eluded their successors. My grandmother, Loreen Buffum Robinson, was Dorothy's cousin; from what I've been told, they were quite close when they were young. He is the great-great grandson of newspaper publisher, Harrison Gray Otis. Otis enthusiastically supported Michael's racing career until a near-fatal crash while qualifying at Indianapolis in 1984. Was it his health, which had been acting up? Philip Chandler and Harrison Chandler, as well as a sister, Mabel Otis Booth. He was captain of the legendary Stanford track team that included two-time Olympic decathlon champion Bob Mathias, '53. Obviously, as a Buffum descendant, I'm not entirely objective in the matter. Widening the rift was the familys general dislike of publisher Norman Chandlers wife, Dorothy (or Buffy), whom they deemed an outsider. He never got the full credit he deserved for having taken care of the family. Those jokes died out quickly once Chandler took over. In 1962, when Nixon lost his bid for the California governorship and made his vituperative comments about the press not having "Dick Nixon to kick around anymore," he singled out the unexpectedly tough coverage by the Times. He started a successful wire service with the Washington Postthat competed with the renowned New York Times Syndicate. There were Chandlers in my life, quite a few of them, apparently they were from different branches of the extraordinary family. 2023 Variety Media, LLC. "I discovered my trust in a close friend was misplaced," Chandler told STANFORD in 1978. Otis Chandler was many things, truly a southern California Renaissance man. I grew up with ink in my blood. Information. Otis Chandler was the publisher of the Los Angeles Times between 1960 and 1980, leading a large expansion of the newspaper and its ambitions. He relinquished the title of editor in chief in 1985 and left the board of directors two years ago. Behind me -- dead, thank heavens -- stands an equally gigantic polar bear ("Kotzebue, Alaska; Record Book Size; February 1964") that Chandler shot, then gutted on an arctic ice floe before he and his guide dragged the 300-pound carcass back to their tiny plane, 5 miles away. By Otis own account, he had no plans to enter the family business when he was growing up. He was born on November 23, 1927 and his birthplace is California. But that campaign is skimmed over in favor of a more general overview of the Chandler family as a bulwark of extreme right-wing politics, the sort that supported the anticommunist John Birch Society while also helping forge the career of Richard Nixon. Suddenly, everything was different. At most newspapers, there is a "wall," with the writers and editors on one side and the business staffers who sell advertising on the other. The newspaper, though, continued to be a national joke. And the legend did not disappoint. Husband of Private and Private He looks like he could take me. A considerable strength of this exceptionally resonant docu, made in association with Los Angeles PBS outlet KCET, is its broad appeal to a variety of viewers, from history buffs and journalism mavens to watchers of all things Los Angeles, and perhaps most of all to longtime SoCal residents who can recall when the Times mattered. The Times shaped it and took advantage of it, accruing more influence than any single newspaper or any single family should. But Norman and Dorothy had other plans. or "I think that's Kristie." Eventually, Chandler used the proceeds to snap up quality papers in other markets: the Dallas Times Herald (later sold), the Baltimore Sun, the Hartford Courantand Long Island's Newsday. If you ever get the chance, read the Otis Chandler biography "Privileged Son" by Dennis McDougal. Brant). "His reign at the Los Angeles Times was the newspaper's Camelot," McDougal says. I always think the universe does a neat trick when a person's name predicts the vocation he or she takes as an adult. The site has since grown to nearly 5 million members who have added over 150 million books, completely by word of mouth. Chargers general manager Tom Telesco stressed once again at the NFL Combine that removing the veteran Allen from the roster isnt an option as L.A. tries to squeeze under the salary cap. By the time he finished Stanford, Chandler was hooked on motorcycles, surfing, bodybuilding and hunting. Almost immediately afterward, 8-by-10 photos of Chandler began showing up in the newsroom, posted on pillars and desks and bulletin boards. In 1894, he wed the daughter of Los Angeles Times owner Harrison Gray Otis and proceeded to build a media empire. Chandler knew all this because he had done it, and when, late in the Willes regime, he finally decided to speak out against the failed stewards of his legacy at the Times, his most bitter accusation was: They didn't know what they were doing. ", So on November 3 at 6:10 p.m., more than 100 employees gathered around the city desk to listen to a philippic written by a man most of them had never met -- one of the last bona fide legends in their rapidly changing business. When the time came to fold the family's money-losing afternoon tabloid, the Mirror, the Chandlers cut a sweet deal: in return for closing the Mirror, which competed with the Hearst Corp.'s afternoon paper, the Chandlers got Hearst to shutter the Los Angeles Herald Examiner, the Times's morning rival. Watching the Chandlers And Their Times was jarring, comforting, educational, enlightening and a cautionary tale. Three months later, Willes fired 750 Times employees. Chandler Otis MS, LPC-Associate under the supervision of Lindsay Hollmuller MS, LPC-S, BCB, BCN is originally from Northern California where she attended Sonoma State University and graduated with her Bachelors degree in Early Childhood Development. He keeps several motorcycles in running trim and commutes 30 miles each day across the mountains, from his ranch in Ojai to his museum office in Oxnard, aboard a glistening, custom-built Harley Davidson 1100 cc Softail. Resides in Los Angeles, CA Metropolitan Area. Who are the richest people in the world? Norman Chandler died in 1973. Chandler works out at least every other day and competes in senior bicycle races. Dorothy Chandler never remarried. Ruling Planet: Otis Chandler had a ruling planet of Jupiter and has a ruling planet of Jupiter and by astrological associations Thursday is ruled by Jupiter. About Michael Otis "Mike" Chandler. Otis Chandler built Goodreads in 2006 because he believed in social networking and wanted to see what his friends were reading. But in fact, he keeps in close touch with his contacts at the paper and lives and breathes the daily vicissitudes of the Los Angeles Times. Otis Chandler was a Sagittarius and was born in the Silent Generation. But when I checked in with him a few weeks later, his mood had improved. Variety and the Flying V logos are trademarks of Variety Media, LLC. In 1708, he was chosen a member of Her Majesty's Council (at the time, the highest position a native could achieve) and was annually reelected until his death in 1727. A few days after learning of the Staples debacle, he phoned veteran political reporter Bill Boyarsky and dictated a memo. Hiring great people who can do all the above is crucial. The economic boom and the Jazz Age were over, and America began the period called the Great Depression. Harry's son, Norman, and his activist wife, Dorothy, transformed Los Angeles into a cultural mecca, creating the Los Angeles Music Center and luring world-class talent to play there. A mini-board of directors, dominated by younger Chandlers, will have some say in how the Los Angeles paper is run. ideamensch is an interview platform for entrepreneurs, makers, and doers. Made with great respect for entrepreneurs in Missoula, Montana. Along with a passion for building websites, Otis is also a voracious reader. This put mother and daughter in conflict somewhat, since they were both seeking funds from the same pool of donors, and Buff was certain that her project had more merit than the art museum. McDougal has lectured in journalism and creative writing at UCLA, Stanford, and the California State Universities at Fullerton and Long Beach. My favorite story about Otis combines the two. It was Downing who blundered into the notorious Staples Center controversy that contributed mightily to her and Willes's downfall. The Los Angeles Times rise as, first, the engine of Southern Californias profound economic boom and, second, a world-class newspaper, is recounted by filmmaker Peter Jones as an unfolding tragedy in Inventing L.A.: The Chandlers & Their Times. Jones has made this definitive look at the paper and the Chandler family with the encyclopedic gravitas of Ken Burns docs, directing slow-boiling anger at the notoriously private Chandler family, whose decisions drove a great newspaper into the ground. We wouldn't be working here if it weren't for him. Their strategy was aimed almost entirely at the short term, to prop up Times Mirror stock price and to increase the familys dividends. Yes, the Los Angeles Times remains one of the best papers in the country, but the Otis drive to push The New York Times off its perch, as he once famously put it--a drive that led him to increase the editorial budget by nearly 1,000% in his first 10 years--has been replaced by more modest goals. The suspension drew outrage from conservatives like Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont. He finished in the top ten twice, with his best finish in 4th position in 1981 at Riverside. The scion of the wealthy Chandler family who took over the Los Angeles Times and transformed it into a nationally respected publication. Collection Title: Chandler Family History Collection Digitized by California Audiovisual Preservation Project. In a poll of the Washington press corps, the Los Angeles Times ranked among the three least fair and reliable papers in the country. A near head-on crash in practice for the 1984 race left him in a coma for several days and prematurely . He clearly loves his Oxnard museum, with its incongruous dioramas depicting the "Grand Slam of American Sheep" -- Chandler bagged them all -- parked next to Joan Crawford's handmade Cadillac town car. As a friend, classmate and admirer of various Chandlers I could not possibly watch this with an objective eye. Title supplied by cataloger.Otis Chandler (1927-2006) was the only son of Norman Chandler, publisher of The Times, and Dorothy Buffum Chandler, patron of the arts and a passionate fund-raiser who helped transform Los Angeles into a major cultural center. Like a gargantuan 19th century novel, the saga of the Los Angeles Times is full of larger-than-life figures and historic sweep, betrayal and intrigue, pettiness and triumph. Michael is the son of Los Angeles Times publisher Otis Chandler and Marilyn "Missy" Chandler. When the water arrived in 1912, the land--once considered barren and useless--was worth millions. He also developed real estate and erected the famous Hollywood sign (which. The newspaper he inherited was very like the California of its time -- fat, parochial and happy. Politicians and the police were there to protect their interests and, more than anything else, those interests revolved around the citys rapid growth. The 1920s represented an era of change and growth. On March 11, there were three great American newspaper families: the Sulzbergers of the New York Times, the Grahams of the Washington Post and the Chandlers of Los Angeles's Times Mirror Co. A day later, there were two. The news shook Southern California like an earthquake: Los Angeles Times, family owned for 118 years, was being sold to Chicago-based Tribune Co. "I feel as if I was gut shot," said novelist and California chronicler John Gregory Dunne. I think we have a pretty compelling product today, but in terms of offering a good answer to the question What should I read next? I think we are only at the tip of the iceberg. Chandler knows the new owners personally, admires the Chicago paper and is hoping for the best. "[Chandler] was a great man who made this paper what it was. This is the central mystery of his life. "[Washington Post publisher] Donnie Graham called me when he heard about the Tribune sale and said, 'Aren't you just wiped out? Next time I wont worry about how I will pay the the rent a good idea needs focus and 100% of your execution. Discover what happened on this day. The Chandlers and Their Times" (2009) for PBS. The hole at the center of Privileged Son is Otis himself. They were too young to see action in World War II and too old to participate in the fun of the Summer of Love. Frances C. Arrillaga Alumni Center He needed Buffie to push him to be what he did, in fact, want to be. At the height of Otis tenure, Times Mirror was the second largest media company in the country. His wife is Bettina A. Whitaker (15 August 1981 - 27 February 2006) ( his death), Marilyn (Missy) Brant (18 June 1951 - 1981) ( divorced) ( 5 children) Otis Chandler Net Worth His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. Yes, Otis Chandler is slowing down. Norman, Harrys bland and self-effacing son, didnt so much expand the empire as secure it. He started Goodreads as part of a personal goal to read more books, and has found a large core group of people that love reading, and have helped drive the direction of Goodreads. We did wild things, although it's all kid stuff by today's standards. In my childhood it was the newspaper that my parents counted on for their daily news. Stanford, CA 94305-6105. Some 200 heirs with at least 20 different surnames are benefiting from clerk Harry Chandler's fortuitous marriage more than a century ago. I knew before this viewing that her son Otis had been unceremoniously pushed out of his stewardship of the times. After some back-and-forth polishing, Chandler asked Boyarsky to read the memo out loud in the newsroom. But he leaves little doubt about his opinion of Chandler's accomplishments in the profession that consumed his passion and energy for 50 years. Jeffrey Chandler and cousin Roger Goodan, along with family trust chairman Walter Williamson, were the last family members on the Tribune board. Factual errors creep in (his chronology, for instance, of the 1999 Staples Center scandal is off). Adams faces social and monetary consequences after making racist comments online. 2023 Forbes Media LLC. In 1894, he wed the daughter of Los Angeles Times owner Harrison Gray Otis and proceeded to build a media empire. He has a full head of tawny hair and the Johnny Weismuller physique that earned him the nickname "Shoulders" at Stanford. Chandler glances down at my comparatively undeveloped 6-foot frame and grunts, "Yeah. In fact, other newspapers had put out similar magazines. 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