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D in the Heart of Texas             

Jerry T. Dealey

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The Dallas Morning News is Born (Part 1)

Early History of Texas
The Europeans and American Settlers
John Neely Bryan – And Other Early Founders
Some Wheeling-Dealing to Grow a City
George Bannerman Dealey
The Dallas Morning News is Born
The Great 1908 Flood
G. B. Promotes Other Early Dallas Growth
The "City of Hate"
Building the ‘Subway’, Triple Underpass, Dealey Plaza
The Other Buildings Around Dealey Plaza
The Elder G. B. Dealey
The Dallas "Citizens Council"
The ‘Right Wing’ Direction of Dallas - "City of Hate" Revisited
A ‘Turn-Around’ for the Dallas Morning News
The Pre-November ‘Hate’ Incidents
Dallas’ Law Enforcement
November 1963, Why Dallas?
Dealey Plaza Changes To-Date

1885 was the year that Belo pushed the idea of opening a second newspaper in Dallas, and G.B. was the main person in Dallas to organize it. Much work was involved with building a 3-story building at 509-511 Commerce St, and acquiring the presses, furniture, and equipment for it. In addition, the Morning News building on Commerce St., between Lamar and Austin, was the first one in Dallas to have all incandescent electric lights, powered by the newly built Dallas Power Plant. Many workers of the Galveston News were brought up to help, many Dallasites were trained, and many more were acquired from other newspapers in other areas of Texas. Many Texas newspapers had editorialized that it was nothing but sheer arrogance by the News to believe that its two newspapers could cover the entire state. But they proceeded anyway, and on October 1, 1885 the first edition of the Dallas Morning News was produced!


Under G. B. Dealey’s direction, the Dallas Morning News would be a fair and open newspaper; although it did it’s best to influence politics and civic events for the good of the people. It would be an example of fairness and even-mindedness under G. B.’s direction. In fact, Adolph Ochs, who would later start the New York Times, stated that he modeled his paper and its policies after the example put forth by the Galveston and Dallas News. In 1940, associations representing the largest newspapers in the country named G. B. Dealey the “Dean of American Journalism”-- quite an honor, to say the least.


G. B. Dealey was also a very strong proponent of social, civic and cultural programs. One of the first campaigns that the Morning News was known for was the “Cleaner Dallas” campaign of the late 1890’s. This was in the waning years of the Cowboy frontier days, and Dallas was loaded with various saloons and other businesses. Horses and buggies were the main transportation, and trash and other things were simply left in the streets. The paper’s campaign influenced the businesses of Dallas to put public trashcans in the street, and keep the areas outside of their business neater. G. B.’s editorials also led to the cleaning up of the Trinity River bottoms. The campaign involved everyone at every level, and showed the respect the city leaders developed for Dealey, although the young man had not yet been considered a city leader.
The Aldermen and leaders of Dallas were not widely known for their ‘social’ programs. It is not that they were particularly against them, but if it did not help Dallas financially, or attract new businesses into the area, it was not pushed by these growth minded leaders. They felt that civic improvements were good only because “...it gave the high society women and preachers something to do”. It was not until the “Cleaner Dallas” campaign that they started to understand that a more socially acceptable Dallas would also help attract new growth.



IE150-1.GIF - 6031 BytesD in the Heart of Texas - Table of Contents
03LEFT.JPG - 1910 Bytes George Bannerman Dealey
03RIGHT.JPG - 1880 Bytes The Dallas Morning News is Born (Part 2)

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Last edited June 3, 2003