STEPHEN, DOUGLAS CLARK (1894 - 1960), newspaper editor

Born at Leicester, 1894, son of John T. Stephen; he began his career in journalism by helping his father report sport and general news for the Press Association. After training for five years on the Leicester Mail he joined the Sporting Chronicle at Manchester as a sub-editor, and worked on the North Star at Darlington for a short while before moving to work as a sub-editor on the South Wales Echo in 1916. He was appointed editor in 1922 at a time when intense rivalry between local newspapers resulted in the merging of The South Wales News with The Western Mail, and The Evening Express with The South Wales Echo. Under his direction The Echo grew in size, circulation and prestige. He demanded high professional standards and total integrity whilst giving encouragement, advice and support to successive generations of young journalists, many of whom later became well known Fleet Street personalities, Percy Cudlipp being one of them. In 1946 he was one of ten provincial editors who toured France at the invitation of the French Provincial Press. He was made a Fellow of the Institute of Journalists in 1951 and was president of the institute two years later. In 1955 he was elected to the board of directors of the Western Mail and Echo Ltd. He retired in 1957 but the following year, as assistant press officer to the Empire Games in Cardiff, he organised the press facilities which won world-wide journalistic tributes. He died 4 June 1960 at his home, 7 Holmwood Terrace, Cyncoed, Cardiff, leaving a widow, Lucy Helena Stephen.

Author

• Dr Mary Auronwy James

Sources

• South Wales Echo and The Times, 6 June 1960
• The Biographical Index of W. W. Price, Aberdâr

Additional Links

• Wikidata: Q20821116

Published date: 2001

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