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James L. Markham
by Mary Raabe
first published in 2019
Piercing intellectual, Intolerant of intolerance, Boundless benefactor, Tireless promoter of Hopkins, Courageous editor, Loyal friend, Respected adversary
-Mary Raabe
For two and a half decades, James Markham, owner and editor of the Hennepin County Review, published the news of Hopkins. He promoted its virtues, wrote of its soul and championed its people. He made you laugh, he made you think and most of all, he never let you forget this was Hopkins, “Berrytown – where the finest people in all the world live.”
After publishing over 1300 issues, he retired in 1954 from his highly respected, nationally recognized weekly paper. Only a painful and debilitating form of arthritis prevented him from continuing as editor. |
James Markham’s career in journalism began early. While attending Mankato High School, he was school correspondent to the Mankato Free Press. After graduating in 1913, he enrolled in the University of Minnesota School of Agriculture – but his passion for journalism remained and the University provided the perfect opportunity to apply his skills. He was news editor of the Minnesota Daily and associate editor of the Gopher yearbook. Off campus, in his “spare time,” he was employed as a sports reporter for the Minneapolis Journal and the Minneapolis Tribune.
In 1917, his promising career was interrupted by America’s entry into the Great War. Markham left college during his senior year and enlisted as a lieutenant in the field artillery. After returning in 1918, Markham secured employment as |
news editor for the Owatonna Journal Chronical, and later as editor of St. Peter Free Press. In 1923, hoping to find relief from his painful arthritis, he and his wife Florence moved to Arizona where he worked as a reporter for the Arizona Republican. When his symptoms failed to improve, James and Florence moved back to Minnesota the following year.
In 1928, with $1000 Florence stashed away from her grocery money (unknown to Markham), he was able to purchase the Hennepin County Review already operating in Hopkins. After he bought the paper, Markham continued to report Hopkins news, but the paper took on his journalistic style – detailed and in depth reporting with humor, insight and that unmistakable Markham point of view. |
As a proud progressive, Markham used his paper as his forum. “I am in no popularity contest” he would say. He never set out to change anyone’s mind. Markham was happy simply inspiring thought – whether in agreement or not, he welcomed the spirited dialogue he knew would follow. He always believed “the job of editor was to stimulate honest thinking, search for the truth and not to convince people he is right.”
James Markham lived on 15th Avenue in Hopkins with his wife Florence and two children, but his second home was the newspaper located between 10th and 11th on Mainstreet next to Dahlberg Ford. He was a ‘hands on’ editor working long hours on behalf of Hopkins, promoting ‘his’ town and elevating its residents to front page news. |
Whenever a town survives a crisis, maintains its spirit and moves on just as vigorously as it began, there is a person with just as much spirit and force behind it. To Hopkins, this man was James L. Markham. He worked with enthusiasm and vigor on every community project he chaired and brought it to a successful conclusion. Not only was Markham a colorful writer and first class journalist, was he a humanitarian. When he wasn’t busy with newspaper work, he was almost always leading some form of community activity. The Great Depression of 1929 hit Hopkins hard. Hopkins was a one factory town – Minneapolis Moline, and when the company virtually shut down from 1931 – 1935, families were in dire need. Realizing public funds were depleted, James Markham formed a Hopkins Community Fund Committee of several concerned citizens, including Mayor M. B. (Punchy) Hagen, attorney Joe Vesely, Emil Souba, Oscar Dahlberg, Agnes Blake, C. J. Albrecht, Dr. Frank Kucera, Rose Nash and Bloomie Jenstad. Under the direction of Vesely, Markham and Hagen, their committee raised $8500 from area businesses and residents to help 270 Hopkins families – as Joe Vesely said, “To keep body and soul together”.
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Hopkins area farmers were also hurting. It was the summer of 1935, still in the midst of the Depression when Art Plankers, owner of the Red Owl Grocery on Ninth Avenue (where Hoagies is now) approached James Markham to chair a ‘Raspberry Day’. The farmers needed a boost for the raspberry. A crate of raspberries sold at the Minneapolis farmers’ market for only a dollar and fifty cents. The farmers were forced to sell at that price or take their raspberries home.
“You could do a lot for the farmer,” Art Plankers said to James Markham, “by playing up the raspberry crop and having a Raspberry Day. With your paper you could contact all the towns in the area so we could get front page play in their newspapers.” Markham agreed to chair the event and eleven days later with only $350, Hopkins had its first Raspberry Festival, still continuing to this day. Twenty area newspapers including the Minneapolis Journal published the upcoming celebration that continues to this day. Between 20 and 30 thousand people came that day from miles around and the farmers sold their berries for $3.00 a crate. That price never went lower in the history of the Hopkins raspberry. |
“Make ‘em read it, Wick!”“Sage advice” from James Markham, recalled by 1949 Hopkins High School graduate Gene Wicklund. Gene worked part time while in college as a sports writer for the Hennepin County Review. “He was a brilliant editor. He never missed a deadline in the 26 years he ran the Review. His editorials and ‘From the Grumble Seat’ column were nothing less than par excellence. His vocabulary was almost infinite. He had a love affair with words and what words could accomplish. His editing was precise and carefully done. When he edited my work, he made me look good. And his advice ‘Make ‘em read it, Wick’ guided me on every sports article I ever wrote.”
He was fearless and unrelenting in seeking what was right for his community. James Markham and Hubert Humphrey, United States Senator and later Vice President under Lyndon Johnson, were close confidants and discussed everything from the price of raspberries to presidential elections. We are fortunate to have in our library a collection of 25 letters exchanged between Markham and Humphrey. These letters reveal a long and lasting friendship highlighting the successes and struggles of both gentlemen.
James Markham embraced the world of journalism with professionalism, passion and purpose. He never strayed from the journalistic integrity that guided his entire career. In 1934 and 1935, Markham was named one of eleven “All American Newspaper Editors.” In 1955 he was named President Emeritus of the Minnesota Newspaper Association. After Markham retired from his position as editor in 1954, he continued to write “From the Grumble Seat” for another four years. He was also involved in real estate and was active to the end as deputy registrar for the State of Minnesota Motor Vehicles Department.
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Business partner and advertising manager Gene O’Brien continued to publish the paper until the Sun News took over in 1968. O’Brien, an accomplished editor and newspaper executive in his own right, was an active member of the Hopkins community following in the footsteps of James Markham. He was a member of Hopkins Chamber of Commerce, the Hopkins Zoning and Planning Commission, Hopkins Knights of Columbus, Hopkins Rotary and Director of the Suburban Press Foundation. O’Brien also served from 1959 – 1961 as assistant to Minnesota Third District Congressman Roy Wier.
Gene O’Brien and James Markham were business associates and longtime friends. Below is a testimonial written by O’Brien in 1963. We feel it captures best the man, the editor and the legacy of James L. Markham: “He comforted the afflicted and afflicted the comfortable” – That should be James Markham’s epitaph. He loved humanity, battled reliantly for the common man, but still reserved the right to raise hell with individuals who didn’t measure up to his high and exacting standards. This gifted man’s charity was boundless – the Lord only knows the extent of his beneficiaries because Jim never talked about his good deeds. He gave of himself unstintingly and hundreds of people benefited from his wisdom and had their spirits lifted by his strength and ready wit. Basically an educator, Jim Markham’s editorials were written with the fervor of an evangelist. His teaching methods were tough – he demanded the best and anyone coming under his influence who had the stamina and ambition to stick with him was a more useful and better person because of the experience. The impressive roll of successful journalists who received this training in the “Markham School” can attest to that. His legion of friends will never quite know his equal nor ever forget his dedication and purpose. Everyone who knew James Markham had their lives enriched by the experience. |
The single greatest historical contribution ever donated to the Hopkins Historical Society is the Hennepin County Review.
-Clint Blomquist, Society Founder and Museum Curator
For many years the Hopkins Library housed the bound copies of the Hennepin County Review. Because of space restrictions, the library donated these valuable historical volumes to the Hopkins Historical Society. In 1997, board officer Henry Pokorny requested and was awarded a grant to transfer these pages to microfilm. This was done at the Minnesota Historical Society. Microfilm copies can be found in our Hopkins Historical Society Library and at the Minnesota Historical Society in Saint Paul.
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Hopkins Historical Society founder Clint Blomquist spent hundreds of hours recording page numbers and directing researchers to the appropriate Hennepin County Review articles. While this method has worked in the past, the next step is to digitize. Until then, microfilmed pages are available to view and print in our history museum.
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Sources
Hennepin County Review, Hopkins Historical Society archives. 1941 Who’s Who in Minnesota.
What Hopkins Had, by John Houser III.
The Man Markham, a Tribute, St. Louis Park Dispatch.
Hopkins Man Still Sows Salty Words, Minneapolis Star, by Bob Weber.
History of Hopkins Preserved on Microfilm, Sun Sailor.
A Condensed Biography of James L. Markham, by Frenchy Faucher.
‘Hopkins Hearsay’ Hopkins Historical Society Newsletter columns, by Gene Wicklund.
James Markham, An Editor for All Seasons, by Gene Wicklund
What Hopkins Had, by John Houser III.
The Man Markham, a Tribute, St. Louis Park Dispatch.
Hopkins Man Still Sows Salty Words, Minneapolis Star, by Bob Weber.
History of Hopkins Preserved on Microfilm, Sun Sailor.
A Condensed Biography of James L. Markham, by Frenchy Faucher.
‘Hopkins Hearsay’ Hopkins Historical Society Newsletter columns, by Gene Wicklund.
James Markham, An Editor for All Seasons, by Gene Wicklund