Los Angeles County
Biographies
MAXIMILIAN FREDERICK IHMSEN
IHMSEN,
MAXIMILIAN FREDERICK, Publisher, Los Angeles “Examiner,” Los
Angeles, Cal., was born in Pittsburg,
Pa., March 14, 1868, the son of Frederick
Lorenz Ihmsen and Josephine (Darr)
Ihmsen. He
married Angeline Arado in New
York City, March 17, 1894.
The Ihmsen family is one of the oldest in Pennsylvania,
where in the Pittsburg district,
they built and operated the first glass factory west of the Allegheny
Mountains. This was the
beginning of one of the biggest industries of that State and the name has been
closely identified with the glass business ever since the establishment of the
first plant in Pennsylvania. The firm of Ihmsen
& Co. was in existence more than 100 years.
Mr. Ihmsen received his preliminary education in schools of Stuttgart,
Germany, and in Allegheny,
Pa., public schools graduating from the
high school in the latter place in 1886.
He finished his studies at the Pittsburg
Catholic College,
Pittsburg.
Leaving college,
Mr. Ihmsen became a clerk in the Pittsburg
postoffice for about a year, becoming, in 1888, a
reporter on the Pittsburg
“Leader.” The following year he joined
the staff of the Pittsburg
“Post.” This was at the time of the
destruction of Johnstown, Pa., by flood, and Mr. Ihmsen,
who was one of the first correspondents that succeeded in making their way to
the scene of that disaster, won special distinction by being the first to reach
the now historic South Fork Dam in the mountains, the giving way of which had
been the cause of the catastrophe. His
reports of just how the Johnstown
disaster occurred formed one of the journalistic masterpieces of that day and
attracted the attention of the entire newspaper world.
In 1890 Mr. Ihmsen was sent to Washington, D. C., as correspondent for
the Pittsburg “Post,” and the following year became a
member of the Washington staff of the New
York “Herald.”
He was thus engaged until1893, when he was transferred to New
York as political reporter for the “Herald.” Filling this office, Mr. Ihmsen
became one of the best known newspaper men in New
York State. He was occupying this position, in 1895, when
William Randolph Hearst entered the New York newspaper
field and engaged him to represent the New York
“Journal” at that important post, Albany. The next year he was made City Editor of the
“Journal,” and two years later, when the Maine was blown
up, returned to Washington in
charge of the Bureau of the Hearst publications.
During the trying
and extremely delicate moments preceding the declaration of war with Spain and
throughout the war, Mr. Ihmsen was in charge of
Washington, the most important seat of news at that time in the country, and
the news dispatches from there furnished to the Hearst papers attracted
world-wide attention. Frequently denied
and discredited momentarily, their accuracy was invariably established and the
reputation of these papers for profound insight into international diplomacy
and all that implies to world-news developments,
became firmly established.
He was in charge
at Washington when Mr. Hearst’s celebrated fight for the
abrogation of the Clayton-Bulwer treaty and the immediately succeeding fight
for the U. S.’s right to fortify the Panama
Canal and absolutely control it, as finally voiced in the Hay-Pauncefote treaty, occurred.
Mr. Ihmsen personally regards his dispatch, announcing the
intention of the United States to
intervene with a military force in China
during the Boxer troubles as the most gratifying single incident in his
newspaper life. This news was so far in
advance of apparent developments that the State Department, all the
Chancelleries of Europe and most of the newspapers of Europe and America,
denied its accuracy for many weeks.
In 1901 he again
assumed the duties of City Editor of the “Journal.” A year later he became the Political Editor
of the New York “American.”
founded about that time by Mr. Hearst.
From the time of
his entry into New York, Mr. Ihmsen was active in Democratic politics of the city and
State. He was one of the originators of
the movement for the nomination of William Randolph Hearst for President of the
United States at the Democratic
National Convention in Chicago, in
1904, and was in personal charge of the Hearst interest on the floor of the convention. He organized the Municipal Ownership League
of New York in 1905, and that same year managed Mr. Hearst’s campaign as the
candidate of that party for the Mayoralty of New York City. This was the time when Mr. Hearst was
unquestionably elected to the office of Mayor of New York City, but was counted
out after the returns had been held up and doctored by Tammany, constituting
one of the political outrages of history.
In 1906 he aided in organizing the Independence League, and was chairman
of the League State Committee during the Gubernatorial
campaign of that year.
In 1907, during
an extraordinary political uprising in New York City
on the part of members of both of the old line parties, a fusion ticket was
placed in the field headed by Mr. Ihmsen, as
candidate for Sheriff of New York County.
This nomination Mr. Ihmsen accepted only
because the League, by unanimous resolution, asked him to do so, a request that
was urged by the Republican leaders as well.
Although the Fusion ticket developed strength, it was defeated at the
hands of Tammany, which had practiced the same tactics followed in the election
of 1905. In the returns Mr. Ihmsen was credited with 120,671 votes, and Foley, the
Tammany candidate, with 145,388—Mr. Ihmsen running
considerably ahead of his ticket.
Besides his
efforts for political reform in New York,
Mr. Ihmsen figured in various national campaigns,
having been secretary of the National Association of Democratic Clubs from 1900
to 1904, and a member of the Executive Committee of the National Democratic
Congressional Committee in 1902.
In the latter
part of 1908, Mr. Hearst, recognizing the growing importance of Los
Angeles and his interests there, sent Mr. Ihmsen
to take charge of the Los Angeles
“Examiner.” After a brief time spent in
studying the field he assumed charge of the “Examiner” in February, 1909, since
when he has been the managing director over every department of that newspaper,
a work into which he has thrown his entire force and energy.
Since Mr. Ihmsen took charge of the “Examiner” that paper has
attracted national attention throughout the newspaper world owing to its
remarkable growth—the gains and increases in many instances having established
world records. It is to-day the leading
newspaper of the Southwest.
Aside from his
part in the upbuilding of the enterprises fathered by
Mr. Hearst, with whom he has been closely associated for 17 years, Mr. Ihmsen has devoted himself sincerely to upbuilding
Los Angeles and Southern California, and through the policy of encouragement
maintained in the “Examiner,” has been a potent influence in this work.
He is a member of
the Democratic Club and Sphinx Club, New York; and California,
Jonathan, Gamut and Los Angeles Athletic Clubs, Los
Angeles.
Transcribed 7-7-08
Marilyn R. Pankey.
Source: Press
Reference Library, Western Edition Notables of the West, Vol. I, Page 97,
International News Service, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles,
Boston, Atlanta. 1913.
© 2008 Marilyn R. Pankey.
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