McClatchy (James B.) Family Collection MS0143
Sabrina Holecko
Center for Sacramento History
2022-09-02
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
Center for Sacramento History
Title: McClatchy (James B.) family collection
creator:
McClatchy Broadcasting
creator:
McClatchy Newspapers
creator:
McClatchy, James B., 1920-2006
Identifier/Call Number: MS0143
Physical Description:
11 boxes
Physical Description:
10.08 Linear Feet
Date (inclusive): 1849-2008
Date (bulk): 1940-2003
Abstract: The James B. McClatchy family collection documents one patriarch of the prominent newspaper family as well as his relationship
and documents of others in the McClatchy family such as Eleanor, Carlos, Charles Kenny (C.K.), William Ellery, and Charles
Kelly (C.K.) McClatchy. Material dates from 1849 to 2008, with the bulk of it covering most of James B.'s newspaper career
from 1940-2003. The collection consists of correspondence; research for articles and books with prints, negatives, and clippings
from his 1962-1965 coverage of the then Soviet Union; material documenting McClatchy newspaper principles and policies; transcripts
of Sacramento Bee employees; newspaper clippings; two maps of early California; Disney's Bees poster; and James B.'s community
involvement, particularly the Inter-American Press Association (IAPA).
Language of Material: Languages represented in the collection: English, Spanish, and Russian.
Access
Collection is open for research use.
Publication Rights
All requests to publish or quote from private manuscripts held by the Center for Sacramento History (CSH) must be submitted
in writing to CSH@cityofsacramento.org. Permission for publication is given on behalf of CSH as the owner of the physical
items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the patron.
No permission is necessary to publish or quote from public records.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item and/or item number], [box and folder number], James B. McClatchy family collection, MS0143, Center
for Sacramento History.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gifted by the James McClatchy family in 2015 (accession #2015/004).
Biography / Administrative History
Born December 17, 1920, son to Phebe and Carlos McClatchy, grandson to Charles Kenny (C.K.) McClatchy, great-grandson to James
McClatchy, and nephew to Eleanor McClatchy, James Briggs McClatchy was a fourth-generation newspaper man. The McClatchy Company,
founded by the first James McClatchy, is a prominent newspaper and internet publisher headquartered in Sacramento, California.
The company once owned multiple radios and television stations as well as newspapers. In 1866, James McClatchy became part-owner
of the Daily Bee and by 1872 owned a majority. After his death in 1883, James' widow, Charlotte (1840-1916) bought out the
remaining partner in 1884. She left the business to her two sons, Charles Kenny (C.K.) and Valentine Stuart McClatchy, but
in 1923 C.K. bought his brother out. The two had divided the responsibilities so that Valentine (1858-1936) became publisher
and C.K. (1858-1936) became editor. As sole owner, C.K. worked with his son Carlos to build the company and expand into radio
and television stations. The company ran three newspapers during this time: Sacramento Bee, Modesto Bee, and the Fresno Bee.
After Carlos' death in 1933, the future leadership of the company was uncertain. When C.K. died in 1936, his youngest daughter,
Eleanor (1895-1980) took over the position with the first outsider in ninety years in the role of editor, Walter P. Jones.
Eleanor was president of the McClatchy company until 1978 and when Jones died in 1974, Eleanor chose her nephew, Charles Kelly
(C.K.) as editor. When her health declined, C.K. (1927-1989) took over as president and named his younger brother, James Briggs
McClatchy as chairman of the board of directors for the McClatchy Company in 1980.
Born into this famed Sacramento family, James Briggs McClatchy took up the mantle and started his career at the Fresno Bee,
started by Carlos McClatchy, as a copy boy at age 19. By 27, his bylines were found on Sacramento Bee articles as a general
assignment and education reporter. He covered working conditions for migrant farmers in the valley, the initiative to make
Hawaii a state, and articles reporting on life in the Soviet Union from his 1962-1965 trip.
In 1980, James Briggs was appointed chairman of the board of directors for the McClatchy Company and appointed publisher in
1987. He was the first of the McClatchy family to witness a person outside the McClatchy family, Erwin Potts, became head
of the company after his brother, C.K.'s death in 1989. After Potts' retirement in 1996, Gary Pruitt took over the company.
Despite the McClatchy family's limited involvement with the company, James Briggs stayed on as publisher until his retirement
in 2005.
James Briggs and his wife, Susan, were active in the community outside of the newspaper business. James served as the president
of the Inter-American Press Association (IAPA) from 1991-1992 but was involved for many more years. James and Susan also founded
the Central Valley Foundation in 1994, a non-profit organization focused on the needs of English-Learners and protections
of the First Amendment. They took an interest in other community matters, both honorary to the McClatchy family and organizations
concerning the Sacramento valley. On May 26, 2006, James Briggs McClatchy died at the age of 85.
Scope and Content of Collection
This collection is 10.08 linear feet and contains correspondence, diaries, news clippings, two maps of California, prints,
photo albums, scrapbooks, publications, diaries, research notes, lecture notes, transcripts, and awards relating to the life
and career of James Briggs McClatchy and the McClatchy family.
The first series, Personal papers, highlights James Brigg McClatchy's personal achievements such as awards, speeches, newspaper
article clippings and notes he had saved from his career, correspondence, and his community involvement from 1927 to 2007.
Included in this series are biographical sketches of James Briggs McClatchy and correspondence with Erwin Potts from 1978-2005
and Charles Kenny (C.K.) McClatchy from 1978-1989. Also documented in this series are research notes, photographs, photocopies,
and research correspondence in relation to his Soviet Union articles (1962-1965) and his genealogical Rideout material (ca.
1995-2001) that James Briggs McClatchy was working on during his time in the company.
The second series, McClatchy Newspaper Company, contains business papers concerning Sacramento Bee policies, rules, employee
knowledge, publications, and transcripts of interviews from 1940-2000. These interviews were mostly conducted by Art Nauman
from 1979-2000. It also includes a poster of different versions of Walt Disney's "Scoopy the Bee" mascot for the newspaper.
The third and last series, McClatchy family papers and photos, highlights a few books and papers of the McClatchy family left
in James Briggs McClatchy's care. Included in this are items from his father, Carlos McClatchy, including two scrapbooks (ca.
1900-1915) of newspaper clippings, correspondence, and his Redwood yearbooks from 1906 and 1908; correspondence from Charles
Kelly; the diary of Charles Kenny from 1928-1929; articles by and on Eleanor from ca. 1947-1992; and a family photo album
from ca. 1860-1915. This series also contains two maps of California 1849 and 1894.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into 3 series:
- Series 1. Personal papers
- Series 2. McClatchy Newspaper Company
- Series 3. McClatchy family papers and photos
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Sacramento bee (Sacramento, Calif.)
Advertising, Newspaper
Fresno (Calif.)--Newspapers
Newspaper presses
Sacramento (Calif.)--Newspapers
Newspapers--Accounting
Newspapers--Circulation
Newspapers--Marketing
Newspapers--Ownership
Newspaper employees--Labor unions
Sacramento County (Calif.)--History
McClatchy, C.K.
McClatchy, Eleanor, 1895-1980
McClatchy Broadcasting
McClatchy Newspapers
Fresno Bee
Sacramento Typographical Union #46
Series 1. Personal papers
1875-2008
1927-2008
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series documents James Briggs McClatchy's personal awards, correspondence, lectures, and research and article clippings
of his bylines. Some of his correspondence include his brother, C.K., and Erwin Potts. The research on his Soviet Union trip
from 1962-1965 is made up of photographs, news clippings, news clippings in Russian, and his notebooks. The research on the
family history in the Rideout piece contains scans, notes, and correspondence. Many of the lectures in this series are drafts
and have notes written on them. James Briggs and Susan McClatchy's community involvement is also within this series, most
notably documenting some of their work with the Inter-American Press Association (IAPA) from 1992-2008.
Arrangement
The series is arranged alphabetically.
box 1, folder 1-2
Articles by James B. McClatchy
1936-2002
box 1, folder 3
Articles on James B. McClatchy
1955-2005
box 1, folder 5
Awards: California State University, Fresno honorary degree
2006
box 1, folder 6
Awards: Maria Moors Cabot Prize
1999
box 1, folder 7
Biographical sketches
1990-2007
box 1, folder 8
Corporate integrity clippings and notes
ca. 1998-2004
box 1, folder 9-10
Correspondence
1949-2001
1949-1967
box 1, folder 11-13
Correspondence: Charles Kelly (C.K.) McClatchy
1978-1989
box 1, folder 14-16
Correspondence: Erwin Potts
1978-2005
box 1, folder 17
"Role of Newspapers" lecture, correspondence, and notes
ca. 1997-2006
box 1, folder 18, box 2, folder 1-2
Subseries 1.1 Community involvement papers
1927-2008
box 2, folder 3
C.K. McClatchy High School papers
1937-2005
1996-2005
box 2, folder 4
C.K. McClatchy stage dedication
1927-1992
box 2, folder 5
French American Bilingual School
1972-2000
box 2, folder 6
Gold Rush Park project papers
1995-2005
box 2, folder 7-10
Inter-American Press Association (IAPA) Declaration of Chapultepec records
ca. 1992-1994
box 2, folder 11-13
Inter-American Press Association (IAPA) Declaration of Chapultepec records
ca. 1996
box 2, folder 14-16, box 3, folder 1
Inter-American Press Association (IAPA) Declaration of Chapultepec records
ca. 1997
box 3, folder 2-3
Inter-American Press Association (IAPA) Declaration of Chapultepec records
ca. 1998
box 3, folder 4-5
Inter-American Press Association (IAPA) Declaration of Chapultepec records
ca. 1999
box 3, folder 6
Inter-American Press Association (IAPA) Declaration of Chapultepec records
ca. 2000-2001
box 3, folder 7-9
Inter-American Press Association (IAPA) Declaration of Chapultepec records
ca. 2000-2008
box 3, folder 10
James B. McClatchy Park – Oak Park records
1989-2006
box 3, folder 11-12
Mather Field project records
1990-1993
box 3, folder 13
Nehemiah Housing Development Corporation records
1995-2001
box 3, folder 14
San Juan River Parkway records
1963-2004
box 3, folder 15
Stars and Stripes records
1951-1995
box 3, folder 16
Valley Vision records
1993-2005
Subseries 1.2 James B. McClatchy Soviet Union Trip
1962-1965
box 4, folder 23
James B. McClatchy Russian Trip articles and notes
ca. 1962-1965
box 4, folder 24-26
James B. McClatchy Russian Trip ephemera: brochures, programs, books, tickets, and papers
1962-1965
box 4, folder 27
James B. McClatchy Russian Trip Subhum and Kiev negatives
1962
box 4, folder 28-29
James B. McClatchy Russian Trip negatives and contacts for 1st ten articles
1962-1964
box 4, folder 30-33, box 5, folder 1
James B. McClatchy Russian Trip photographs
1962-1963
Subseries 1.3 Rideout book research
1875-2006
Subseries Scope and Content
James B. McClatchy's mother Phebe was born November 8, 1892 to Dr. William Ellery Briggs and Grace Rideout Briggs. Granddaughter
to Norman Dunning Rideout of Marysville and San Francisco and an early California settler, Rideout was a member of the Yuba
County Board of Supervisors in 1862. Phebe's father was an ophthalmologist, a longtime member of the Sacramento Parks Commission,
and a founding member of the Sutter Club. Her other Briggs relatives included several Sacramento physicians and farmers who
dealt in scientific experiments with new crops in the 1860s and 1870s in Yolo County. A native of Sacramento, Phebe graduated
cum laude in 1916 from Vassar College where her mother had also graduated. She studied in Berlin and was awarded the Carnegie
Silver Medal for saving the lives of three classmates from drowning. She married Carlos K. McClatchy in 1918 just before he
went overseas. Carlos was an Army infantry officer at the time and when he went to France with the 91st Division, Phebe took
a position in Washington D.C. with the war department. After the war, they returned to Sacramento and then in 1922 moved to
Fresno to establish the Fresno Bee until Carlos' death in 1933. The two had three children, James Briggs, Charles Kelly, and
William Ellery. Phebe was the first woman member of the California State University and Colleges board of trustees.
box 6, folder 1-2
Rideout Research: Bank of Rideout, Smith, and Company materials
1875-2004
box 6, folder 3
Rideout Research: Bank vault door papers and photos
ca. 1986-1998
box 6, folder 4
Rideout Research: Briggs – Dr. William Ellery research and materials
1879-1929
box 6, folder 5
Rideout Research: Norman Dunning research and material
ca. 1883-2006
box 6, folder 6
Rideout Research: mining research and materials
ca. 1894-2001
box 6, folder 7
Rideout Research: Phebe Conley recollections and interviews
ca. 1978-1998
box 6, folder 8-9
Rideout Research: Phebe Rideout research and material
ca. 1840-2000
box 6, folder 10
Rideout Research: Railroad line research and material
ca. 1900-2002
box 6, folder 11
Rideout Research: Rideout School research and materials
1969-2003
box 6, folder 12
Rideout Research: unused research
ca. 1995-2001
Series 2. McClatchy Newspaper Company papers
1926-2007
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series documents some of the administrative workings of the McClatchy Company from ca. 1926-2004, including policies,
regulations, rules, and employee knowledge and history of the company as well as papers from the Newspaper Quality Review
Committee ca. 1989-2002. The subseries includes transcripts of employee interviews from 1979-2000.
Arrangement
The series is arranged alphabetically.
box 9
Walt Disney Bee poster
ca. 1948-1990
box 3, folder 17
Employee knowledge of Sacramento Bee history notes
ca. 1990-2006
box 3, folder 18
Historical policies, traditions, and positions of the Sacramento Bee notes
ca. 1943-2007
box 5, folder 2-3
McClatchy Newspaper Company policies
1942-1953
box 5, folder 4-5
McClatchy Newspaper Company policies
ca. 1940-1949
box 5, folder 6-7
McClatchy Newspaper Company policies: public relations department
ca. 1940-1960
box 5, folder 8
A memoir by Tom Arden
1999
box 5, folder 9
Newspaper Quality Review Committee
1989-2002
box 5, folder 10
Ponderay Gang of Five papermill club
1979-1987
box 5, folder 11
Sacramento Bee Chronological History
ca. 1945
box 5, folder 12
Sacramento Bee employment and consultant agreements
ca. 1965-2005
box 9
Sacramento Bee
1952-05-13
box 9
Sacramento Bee
1981-08-02
box 9
Sacramento Bee
1982-02-03
box 5, folder 13
Sacramento Bee – Fresno office regulations
ca. 1926
box 5, folder 14
"Sacramento Bee History" by Oscar Lewis
ca. 1957
box 5, folder 15-16
Sacramento Bee history research
1984-1985
box 5, folder 17-18
"Sacramento Bee History" by Thor Severson
ca. 1990-1999
box 5, folder 19
Sacramento Bee's Ombudsman program
1984-2004
box 5, folder 20
Sacramento Bee Renault Cartoon
ca. 1990-1999
box 5, folder 21
Sacramento Bee rules and regulations
ca. 1937-1998
Subseries 2.1 Interview transcripts of Sacramento Bee employees
1979-2000
box 3, folder 19
Interview transcripts: Art Nauman and Bart Cavanaugh
1979-01-23
box 3, folder 20
Charles Duncan and Richard H. Rodda
1989-10-05
box 3, folder 21
Charles Duncan and Frank McPeak
1992-09-03
box 3, folder 22
Art Nauman and Thor Severson
1998-11-11
box 4, folder 1
Art Nauman and George Helmer
1998-11-12
box 4, folder 2
Art Nauman and Stan Gilliam
1998-12-01
box 4, folder 3
Art Nauman and Bob Markson
1998-12-16
box 4, folder 4
Art Nauman and Peter Hayes
1999-01-05
box 4, folder 5
Art Nauman and Florence (Flo) Barton Sleeper
1999-01-11
box 4, folder 6
Art Nauman and Frank McColloch
1999-01-12
box 4, folder 7
Art Nauman and Dennis Renault
1999-01-21
box 4, folder 8
Art Nauman and Verne Bonette
1999-02-25
box 4, folder 9
Art Nauman and William Glackin
1999-03-02
box 4, folder 10
Art Nauman and Jerome Lipp
1999-03-15
box 4, folder 11
Art Nauman and Warren Holloway
1999-07-28
box 4, folder 12
Art Nauman and Ben Swesey
1999-10-13
box 4, folder 13
Art Nauman and Dick Tracy
1999-10-17
box 4, folder 14
Art Nauman and Edie Decker
1999-10-25
box 4, folder 15
Art Nauman and Esther Martin
1999-11-15
box 4, folder 16
Art Nauman and Charles Irish
1999-11-18
box 4, folder 17
Art Nauman and Jim Babcock
2000-02-16
box 4, folder 18
Art Nauman and Guy Mitchell Sheridan
2000-02-22
box 4, folder 19
Art Nauman and Charles Duncan
2000-02-24
box 4, folder 20
Art Nauman and Clark Biggs
2000-07-11
box 4, folder 21
Art Nauman and Richard McClure
2000-07-23; 2000-08-02
box 4, folder 22
Art Nauman and Aaron Epstein
2000-09-25
Series 3. McClatchy family papers and photographs
1849-2005
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series contains papers, photographs, scrapbooks, ancestry research, and maps of California from the McClatchy family
from 1849-2005, including Charles Kenny's 1928-1929 diary, correspondence and business papers from and to Eleanor (1943-1981),
and a McClatchy family photo album from ca. 1860-1915.
Arrangement
The series is arranged alphabetically.
box 6, folder 13
Carlos McClatchy: correspondence
ca. 1903-1932
box 6, folder 14
Carlos McClatchy: biographical and military career research
1917-2006
box 9, box 11
Carlos McClatchy: newspaper clipping scrapbooks
ca. 1900-1915
box 6, folder 15
Carlos McClatchy: The Redwood yearbook
1906-01
box 6, folder 16
Carlos McClatchy: The Redwood yearbook
1908-01
box 6, folder 17
Carlos McClatchy: The Redwood yearbook
1908-04
box 6, folder 18-20
Charles Kelly (C.K.) McClatchy correspondence
1955-2004
box 7
Charles Kenny (C.K.) McClatchy diary #1
ca. 1900-1928
box 7, folder 3-4
Charles Kenny (C.K.) McClatchy diary #2
1928-1929
box 9
Charles Kenny (C.K.) McClatchy membership in the Associated press certificate
1924
box 7, folder 5
Charlotte McClatchy ancestry research
ca. 1959-1995
box 7, folder 6
Eleanor McClatchy: articles by and on Eleanor
ca. 1947-1992
box 9
Eleanor McClatchy: Catholic church indulgence certificate
1959
box 7, folder 7-10
Eleanor McClatchy: correspondence and business papers
1943-1981
box 7, folder 11
Eleanor McClatchy: JOKR Radio Tokyo
1952-1959
box 7, folder 12
Eleanor McClatchy: Theater photographs, correspondence, programs, and clippings
ca. 1942-1956
Mapcase MS 15:01
Map: "The Sacramento Valley from the American River to Butte Creek" surveyed by General Riley
1849
box 7, folder 13
McClatchy family genealogical research
ca. 1900-2005
box 7, folder 14-15
McClatchy family photograph album
ca. 1860-1915
box 8, folder 1
Michigan Bar store ledger #1
ca. 1884
box 10
Michigan Bar store ledger #2
ca. 1884
box 8, folder 2-3
Valentine S. McClatchy scrapbook
1899
box 8, folder 4-5
William Ellery McClatchy lawsuit
1967-1984
box 8, folder 6
William Ellery McClatchy military records and awards
ca. 1943-2005
