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Chronicling America
National Endowment for the Humanities

Newspaper Iowa State Bystander (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916

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About Iowa State Bystander (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916

The Iowa State Bystander was established in Des Moines in 1894 as a four-page weekly to serve as the voice of Iowa’s African American community. Ten prominent African Americans established the Bystander Publishing Company under the motto: “Fear God, Tell the Truth, and Make Money.”  The Iowa State Bystander was the fifth black newspaper established in Iowa, following short-lived publications in Corning, Des Moines, and Oskaloosa.  The first issue was published on June 15, 1894, with a press run of one thousand copies. Editor Charles S. Ruff named the paper after a syndicated newspaper column called “The Bystander’s Notes” written by civil rights advocate Albion W. Tourgee for the black Chicago newspaper, the Daily Inter Ocean.

Two years later, Ruff and his brother, Associate Editor Thaddeus Ruff, handed editorial responsibilities to John Lay Thompson, a graduate of the Iowa Business College and student at the Drake University Law School. During his years as editor, Thompson worked as a lawyer and held positions in local, county, and state governments. In 1900, the paper was enlarged to an eight-page weekly. When the Bystander Publishing Company was dissolved in 1911, Thompson became the paper’s sole owner. His  rising status and editorial skill were reflected in the growing circulation numbers for the Iowa State Bystander, which reached 3,400 by 1912. In January 1916, Thompson changed the paper’s name to the Bystander in an effort to appeal to a larger national audience.

In October 1919, Thompson sold the paper to devote himself exclusively to his law practice. After struggling financially for a few months, the new owners named James B. Morris managing editor of the Bystander. The newspaper’s financial woes continued, however, and in 1922 publisher Laurence Jones sold his interest to Morris, who changed its name to the Iowa Bystander. A Des Moines lawyer and Howard University graduate, Morris would serve as owner and publisher of the Iowa Bystander until 1972. Financial difficulties persisted into the 1930s, but thanks to support from Harvey Ingram of the Des Moines Register and other Des Moines businessmen, the Bystander managed to survive the economic depression.

Morris led an active public life during his editorial tenure. He was one of the founders of the Negro Bar Association, presided over the Des Moines chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and waged a tireless campaign against discrimination and segregation in Iowa and the rest of the country. The Iowa Bystander attacked the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s, highlighted the contributions of black servicemen in World War II, and covered the emerging civil rights and Black Power movements in the 1950s and 1960s.

Under both Thompson and Morris, the Bystander was staunchly loyal to the Republican Party, championed civil rights for all people, and attacked segregation and violence against people of color. The paper followed the philosophical admonitions of Booker T. Washington for African Americans to work hard, lift themselves up by their own efforts, and make positive contributions to American society.

Provided By: Minnesota Historical Society; Saint Paul, MN

About this Newspaper

Title

  • Iowa State Bystander (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916

Names

  • Ruff, Charles S., editor
  • Ruff, Thaddeus S., editor
  • Thompson, John L. (John Lay), 1869-1930, editor

Dates of Publication

  • 1894-1916

Created / Published

  • Des Moines, Iowa : Iowa State Bystander Pub. Co., -1916.

Headings

  • -  African Americans--Iowa--Newspapers
  • -  African American newspapers--Iowa
  • -  Des Moines (Iowa)--Newspapers
  • -  African American newspapers
  • -  African Americans
  • -  Iowa
  • -  Iowa--Des Moines
  • -  United States--Iowa--Polk--Des Moines

Genre

  • Newspapers

Notes

  • -  Weekly
  • -  Began with June 15, 1894 issue.
  • -  -v. 12, no. 30 (Jan. 14, 1916).
  • -  Editors: Charles S. Ruff and Thaddeus S. Ruff, -June 26, 1896; John L. Thompson, July 3, 1896-January 14, 1916.
  • -  Also issued on microfilm from the Library of Congress Photoduplication Service.
  • -  Archived issues are available in digital format as part of the Library of Congress Chronicling America online collection.
  • -  "Official paper of the Afro-American Protective Association of Iowa."
  • -  Description based on: Vol. 1, no. 5 (July 6, 1894).
  • -  Bystander (Des Moines, Iowa) 2332-4554 (DLC)sn 85049804 (OCoLC)2258813

Medium

  • volumes

Call Number/Physical Location

  • Newspaper

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • sn83025186

OCLC Number

  • 9304215

ISSN Number

  • 2332-452x

Succeeding Titles

Additional Metadata Formats

Availability

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress believes that the newspapers in Chronicling America are in the public domain or have no known copyright restrictions. Newspapers published in the United States more than 95 years ago are in the public domain in their entirety. Any newspapers in Chronicling America that were published less than 95 years ago are also believed to be in the public domain, but may contain some copyrighted third party materials. Researchers using newspapers published less than 95 years ago should be alert for modern content (for example, registered and renewed for copyright and published with notice) that may be copyrighted. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item.

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Iowa State Bystander Des Moines, Iowa -1916. (Des Moines, IA), Jan. 1 1894. https://aj.sunback.homes/item/sn83025186/.

APA citation style:

(1894, January 1) Iowa State Bystander Des Moines, Iowa -1916. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://aj.sunback.homes/item/sn83025186/.

MLA citation style:

Iowa State Bystander Des Moines, Iowa -1916. (Des Moines, IA) 1 Jan. 1894. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, aj.sunback.homes/item/sn83025186/.