Jess C. Denious Papers
Collection #25
Introduction
The collection of Jess C. Denious papers is as varied as the man himself.
It spans the years 1930-1953, ending in June 1953, six months before
his death. The collection reflects his business interests as well as
his political involvement and civic projects that Denious undertook.
There is some personal correspondence in the collection, giving a glimpse
of the person Jesse Denious, his family and friends.
The collection was donated to the Manuscript Department of the Historical
Society in two groups, by his family. The first group was received in
September 1954 and the second group was donated in June 1956. Besides
correspondence there are also minutes and reports of the various committees
and organizations that he was associated with during the years. Since
he was a man holding public office, he gave numerous speeches and some
of these are included in the collection. This part of the collection
is not very extensive, however, it fills in some of the gaps in information
and provides some insight into the personality of Denious. Since the
collection starts in 1930, it excludes the years when he was building
his business, starting the researcher with a successful, established
businessman. The years 1941, 1951-1953 do not contain as much material
as the rest of the collection, providing scant information on Denious
and his activities. The collection is contained in 14 boxes arranged
chronologically with some miscellaneous items such as speeches, undated
correspondence, etc., included at the end. Also part of his papers are
the responses Denious sent to the letters received.
Biographical Sketch
Jess C. Denious was born July 14, 1879, in Magadore, Ohio, to Oliver
and Martha Denious. He had one brother, Wilbur, and two sisters, Ada
Miller and Lillie (Hamilton) Taylor. The Denious family came to Kansas
in 1883, moving to Neosho County, living first in Galesburg and then
in Erie.
In 1897, Jess graduated from high school and taught for awhile in
the Neosho county schools. In 1900, he went to Colorado and worked in
Denver and Pueblo and there he learned the printing trade. He decided
to attend college and went to Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa in
1901. In 1902 he transferred to Baker University in Baldwin, Kansas,
joining the Kappa Sigma social fraternity, an organization he would
remain active in the rest of his life. After graduating in 1905, he
became a reporter on the Ottawa Evening Herald, working for Henry J.
Allen. In 1907, he became an editor for the Erie Record, staying until
1909, when he became an editor for the Wichita Daily Beacon.
In 1910, he heard about the Santa Fe developing a branch in the western
part of the state near Dodge City; so he decided to go there and check
out the prospects. He bought a half interest in the Dodge City Globe,
then a weekly paper. It soon became a daily, with Denious as the manager
and editor. He later bought out the other half and became sole owner.
In 1915 he married Juliet Pettijohn and they had two children, a daughter,
Martha, born in 1919, and a son, Jess , Jr., born in 1928.
In 1933, Denious decided to run for public office and was elected
to the Kansas state senate from the 37th district. (It would become
the 35th district after 1935.) While a senator, Denious served on the
education, insurance, ways and means, federal and state affairs, assessment
and taxation, rules, public utilities, livestock, judicial apportionment,
printing, roads and highways, mines and mining, and banks and banking
committees. He chaired some of these at various times during his two
terms. He was part of the first Legislative Council, which served as
an executive committee for the legislature.
Denious remained in the Senate until 1941. He returned to office in
1943 as Lieutenant Governor under Governor Andrew Schoeppel. While Lieutenant
Governor he was on the Kansas Industrial Development Commission, which
later became the Kansas Development Foundation. He served as chairman
of the Commission on Interstate Cooperation as well as promoting the
Council of State Governments. He also acted as chairman of the Kansas
United War Fund Drive and director of the drive in his home county of
Ford.
After retiring from public office, Denious continued to be active
in politics (especially Republican), at all levels. He successfully
managed Schoeppel’s campaign for U. S. Senator, as well as endorsing
candidates at all levels of government.
Denious belonged to many different civic organizations. He belonged
to the Dodge City Presbyterian Church, serving at all levels of the
church’s government. He was a member of several press organizations,
such as the Topeka Press Association, Kansas Press Association, Southwest
Kansas Press Association, the Associated Press and the Kansas State
Editorial Association. He also belonged to the National Educational
Association, Masons, Scottish Rite, Shrine, Elks, Rotary International,
the Dodge City and Kansas Chambers of Commerce, Kansas State Historical
Society, 4-H Club Committee, Kansas Day Club and the Kansas Authors
Club.
As well as his many social and political interests, he was also a
successful businessman, involved in many different ventures. As well
as being the owner and publisher of the Dodge City Globe, he was president
of the Dodge City Broadcasting Company and the owner of KGNO, the Dodge
City radio station. He was also on the Board of Directors of the Victory
Life Insurance Company and the Western Light and Telephone Company.
He also apparently had some kind of financial interest in the Norton
Daily Telegram. Denious apparently was a generous man, giving a great
deal of money to family, friends and charities.
Scope and Content
The Jess C. Denious papers are varied in their content across a wide
range of interests. The collection consists of 14 boxes and is arranged
chronologically. It covers the years 1930 to June 1953, with very little
material for the years 1941, 1951-1953. It includes correspondence of
various types, speeches and reports.
The bulk of the material concerns the business ventures of Denious.
One can learn a lot about the business and financial side of the newspaper
and radio broadcasting industries, as well as the kinds of ethical questions
that journalists of the 1930’s and 1940’s faced. There is
an interesting series of letters between Denious and the editor of the
Norton Daily Telegram, in which he apparently had some financial interest.
One can learn about the work of a major stockholder in a Kansas company
through his correspondence with Western Light and Telephone Company
and Victory Life Insurance. It is interesting to observe how these groups
fared during the depression and into the years of World War II.
Denious was a prominent Republican in Kansas during the 1930’s
and 1940’s, and there is a great deal of correspondence related
to his political relationships, responsibilities and ambitions. During
the years he served in the Kansas state senate (1933-1941), he received
a lot of correspondence concerning various bills and resolutions coming
before the legislature, especially when he was on the Legislative Council
and the Ways and Means Committee. A lot of the correspondence came from
constituents with some from other sources such as legislators and newspaper
men. While he was Lieutenant Governor (1943-1947), he received much
correspondence centered around the National United War Fund Drive, an
effort to raise money for the war. Denious was state chairman of the
drive in Kansas. There was also some correspondence concerning industrial
development in Kansas, especially in southwest Kansas, through the Kansas
Industrial Development Commission and the Kansas Industrial Commission.
Throughout the collection there is a great deal of what could be termed
“political courtesy” correspondence. This includes letters
of congratulations, sympathy, invitations to speak or make an appearance
at state and local functions, etc. There are also a number of letters
of recommendations for appointments and requests for letters of reference
scattered throughout the collection.
Another area that has extensive material is that concerning the social
and civic organizations to which he belonged. Notifications of meetings
and general correspondence dealing with events and issues of the groups
are included. The Kansas Authors Club, the press associations, Chambers
of Commerce, Kansas Day Club, Kansas State Historical Society, the Dodge
City Presbyterian Church and various charities such as the Society for
Crippled Children, are all represented with regular correspondence with
Denious. The amount of correspondence with various groups increases
during the years that he was an officer in a particular organization.
He also maintained a regular correspondence with Baker University, especially
the Kappa Sigma fraternity.
His personal correspondence provides some unique and interesting information
both on Denious and his family. There is a series of correspondence
between Denious and his sister Lillie Taylor, lasting until her death
in 1944. It would seem, from her letters, that for a few years anyway,
he was supporting or at least helping to support her. She was unmarried,
though she had apparently been married twice, and it isn’t evident
how the marriages ended. There is also frequent correspondence between
Denious and his brother Wilbur, an attorney in Colorado. The letters
discussed both personal and business subjects. There is also correspondence
from his wife, Juliet, and their two children, with most of the children’s
correspondence coming later in the collection when the children are
older.
There is also a great deal of correspondence between William Allen
White, the editor of the Emporia Gazette, and Denious. Some of the letters
relate to professional and some to personal concerns. Denious also received
letters from people such as Edward G. Robinson, Theodore Roosevelt and
Helen Keller, though they were of a trivial nature.
An interesting series of letters concerns the world premier of the
movie, “Dodge City” that occurred in that city. The premier
took place on April 1, 1939 and thus material concerning it can be found
in the months preceding it. Included are movie tickets, lists of the
celebrities and press who were expected to be there, as well as general
correspondence.
At the end of the collection there are some speeches made by Denious
for various groups and events. Part of this section also has some speeches
made by other people. The speeches are in no particular order and only
a few have titles. However, one can readily find out the nature and
setting of the address by reading his introductory remarks. This series
provides some additional insight into Denious’ political views
and his personality.
With the speeches there is another interesting group of papers. It
is the case file of the prohibition violation of E. C. Minner, the Ford
county attorney. The case is dated 1930 and the folder includes photos,
clippings, newspaper copy and transcripts of the hearing. Denious was
subpoened to testify for the prosecution which is apparently the reason
he has the case file.
This collection is an excellent resource for research concerning the
press in Kansas, the Kansas Republican party and state government, as
well as several civic organizations across the state. It provides information
concerning politics during the depression and war years, as well as
the economic state of companies and industries during that period. The
prohibition issue is also given some coverage in the collection, through
some of his correspondence as well as the Minner case.
Container List
Box 1
Partial list of letters
Correspondence, 1930-1934 (4 folders)
Box 2
Correspondence, 1936 (4 folders)
Box 3
Correspondence, January – April, 1937 (4 folders)
Box 4
Correspondence, May 1937 – March 1939 (5 folders)
Box 5
Correspondence, April 1939 – March 1940 (4 folders)
Box 6
Correspondence, April 1940 – July 1942 (5 folders)
Box 7
Correspondence, August 1942 – April 1943 (5 folders)
Box 8
Correspondence, May 1943 – February 1944 (5 folders)
Box 9
Correspondence, March 1944 – January 1945 (5 folders)
Box 10
Correspondence, February 1945 – December 1945 (5 folders)
Box 11
Correspondence, 1946 (5 folders)
Box 12
Correspondence, 1947 – 1948 (7 folders)
Box 13
Correspondence, January 1949 – August 1950 (6 folders)
Box 14
Correspondence, September 1950 – June 1953 (6 folders0
Folder 1: September – December 1950
Folder 2: 1951 – 1953
Folder 3: Minner Case
Folder 4: Speeches
Folder 5: Undated Correspondence
Folder 6: Speeches
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