Caddo Parish Bios: Attaway, Douglas Submitted on Sep. 24, 2006 Submitted By: Mike Miller ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** Author: Henry E Chambers Douglas Attaway, as president and general manager of the Journal Publishing Company, publishers of the Shreveport journal, has a place of peculiar responsibility and power in the life and affairs of a city that claims nothing less than first rank along the cities of greater resources and potential power in the South and Southwest. It has been under the energetic direction of Mr. Attaway that the Journal has become one of the best papers in Northern Louisiana and frequently dominating with its decisions in matters involving the civic, moral and political welfare of this section of the state. Mr. Attaway was born in Waynesboro, Georgia, and was a very young man when he came to Shreveport. During the twenty-five years of his residence he has been a participant in practically every important movement for the greater growth and development of the city. He grew up on a farm, but as a boy heeded the call of the city and by the study of stenography and bookkeeping, found the first year to the larger opportunities of city life. His first work away from his Georgia home was in New York City where he spent several months employed as a stenographer. On coming to Shreveport in 1900, Mr. Attaway entered the service of the Shreveport Journal, which had been established about five years before. He began as bookkeeper and through the channels of accounting, learned the business through every department. Sixteen years later he was thoroughly qualified to take charge as general manager of the company, and continued in this capacity until April, 1919, when he purchased a controlling interest in the company. Prior to that time the Journal had paid its stockholders little or nothing on their investment. It is a tribute to his keen business ability that since he became principal owner and manager, the business has been on a satisfactory basis in a financial way and at the same time the Journal itself has grown in community popularity and enlarged its service to the public. The Journal is an afternoon newspaper. The plant, in addition to publishing the Journal, does a large commercial job printing business. The best index to the enlargement and growth of the business was the purchase in the early part of 1924 by the Journal Company of quarters for a new home. At that time the company acquired the Travis Street public school building, a comparatively new brick building on the corner of Marshall and Travis streets, in one of the prominent locations in the business district. This property is across the alley from the postoffice and is only the distance of a street width from the former plant of the Journal. The building is two stories with a basement and is being remodeled and reequipped for the housing of one of the most up-to-date plants in the South. When completed the new home will represent an investment of approximately $200,000. It was the increasing success realized by the Journal under the leadership of Douglas Attaway that the purchase of this new home was made possible. Associated with him in the management of different departments of the business Mr. Attaway has the following experienced men: Sam B. Harper superintendent; Dolph Frantz, managing editor; A. L. Williams, associate editor; Otis Harris, city editor; George S. Sexton, Jr., advertising manager; William A. Barfield, manager of the job plant T. L. Sessums, circulation manager; Cortez C. Moore foreman of the newspaper. All told there are about 100 persons in the company's employ. The officials of the Journal Publishing Company are: Douglas Attaway, president; B. W. Marston, vice president; Dolph Frantz, secretary ; J. Homer Jordan, treasurer, and other prominent Shreveport business men. Connected with the official family are Col. J. B. Ardis, J. Claiborne Foster, Samuel Dreyfuss, George M. Hearne, W. L. Young and Abe Saenger. The ownership of the Journal Company is entirely in Shreveport. While this business has multitudinous cares and opportunities for every minute of Mr. Attaway's the and energy, he has responded to numerous calls for the, effort and means in serving the civic, industrial, social and religious life of the community. He is a member of the Lions Club, the City Club, the Country Club, the Chamber of Commerce and Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, being a director of the Chamber of Commerce. In 1925 he was nominated for the presidency of the Lions Club, but voluntarily withdrew with the request that the other nominees be unanimously elected. His associates have again and again admired his unselfishness and sincere public spirit. He is a member of the First Baptist Church and his wife belongs to the First Presbyterian Church. In questions of public concern Mr. Attaway unhesitatingly directs that the Journal's endorsement be for that which will mean most for the welfare of the public. He recognizes unerringly the better side of a moral issue, and is definite in his opposition to anything that might tend to corrupt or abuse the public. The Shreveport Journal's position is never in doubt when it comes to matters of public welfare. In rendering this service Douglas Attaway is reflecting the first lesson he learned when a boy in the home back in Georgia. While bit inclined to seek public position, he never fails to take an interest in the candidacy of office seekers. Those who can not measure up to his estimation of competency and ability can not expect to receive the support of himself or the paper of which he is the directing head. Some who have failed to realize their ambitions in Shreveport have ascribed their failure largely to the fact that they could not convince Douglas Attaway and associates that they were better qualified than others. In every way he is a splendid type of the modern news paper publisher and manager, and as a citizen is invaluable to the present and future growth of Shreveport. Additional Comments: A History of Louisiana, (vol. 2), p. 352, by Henry E. Chambers. Published by The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, 1925.