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George Wheeler Hinman

Overview

George Wheeler Hinman (1860–1927) was a Hamilton College alumnus (Class of 1884) who became a prominent Chicago journalist, newspaper editor, and Republican political figure. A native of Mount Morris, New York, he graduated from Hamilton as salutatorian of his class and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Phi fraternity. After postgraduate study in Berlin, Leipzig, and Heidelberg (receiving M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Heidelberg), he spent ten years as a reporter and eventually editorial director of the New York Sun, before moving to Chicago in 1898 as editor-in-chief of the Inter Ocean. He later purchased the Inter Ocean and served as president of Marietta College (1913–c.1918) before returning to journalism as president of the Chicago Herald and Examiner, a Hearst paper. He died on March 31, 1927.

Relevance to Research

Hinman is documented in Hamilton Life from 1905 through his death in 1927, representing the college’s tradition of alumni achievement in journalism and Republican politics. The 1915 Hamilton Life roster of notable alumni explicitly lists him as “George Wheeler Hinman, ‘84, president of Marietta College.” His 1927 obituary in Hamilton Life is the most detailed source, describing his career arc from Hamilton through Chicago journalism to national Republican politics. His time at the New York Sun connects him to the same paper associated with Chester Sanders Lord (‘73), suggesting a network of Hamilton-connected journalists at that publication in the late 19th century.

Notes

• Born c. 1860; grew up in Mount Morris, N.Y.
• Hamilton College, Class of 1884; salutatorian of his class; member of Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Phi
• The 1880–81 and 1881–82 catalogs list him as “George Wheeler Hinman, Mount Morris” with a Sigma Phi Hall address
• The 1883–84 catalog lists him multiple times, including as a prize winner (No. 1 in his class in multiple competitions)
• The 1884–85 catalog lists him as “George Wheeler Hinman, Mount Morris” as an alumnus
• After graduation, studied in Berlin, Leipzig, and Heidelberg; received M.A. and Ph.D. from Heidelberg
• Worked for approximately ten years as a reporter on the New York Sun, eventually becoming editorial director
• Moved to Chicago in 1898 as editor-in-chief of the Inter Ocean
• Purchased the Inter Ocean approximately four years after joining (c. 1902)
• The 1913 Hamilton Life reports he “accepted the Presidency of Marietta College” after leaving the Inter Ocean
• Inaugurated as president of Marietta College, Ohio, in October 1913
• The 1915 Hamilton Life lists him as “President of Marietta College”
• After Marietta, became president of the Chicago Herald and Examiner (a Hearst paper); resigned from publisher position in 1923
• “During the succeeding ten years he became a force in Republican national politics” (per the Chicago Herald Examiner, quoted in Hamilton Life 1927)
• Described as “intense in his loyalties, severe in his prejudices and frequently partisan in his enthusiasms”
• His editorial comments on financial and business subjects were “eagerly followed by prominent men and women in every part of the United States”
• Died March 31, 1927; news received by Hamilton Life shortly after

Related Sources

• hamilton-life-1905-01-14 — lists “George Wheeler Hinman, Ph. D., ‘84” among notable alumni in a roll call
• hamilton-life-1913-05-13 — reports Hinman accepted presidency of Marietta College after leaving the Chicago Inter Ocean
• hamilton-life-1913-10-21 — reports Hinman’s inauguration as president of Marietta College
• hamilton-life-1915-03-24 — lists him as “G.W. Hinman, ‘84, President of Marietta College” and “George Wheeler Hinman, ‘84, president of Marietta College”
• hamilton-life-1927-04-26 — detailed obituary: career summary, death date, Phi Beta Kappa membership, Chicago journalism career, Republican politics, Heidelberg Ph.D.
• yhm-arc-pub-cat-1880-81 — lists Hinman as a student from Mount Morris
• yhm-arc-pub-cat-1881-82 — lists Hinman at Sigma Phi Hall, Mount Morris
• yhm-arc-pub-cat-1883-84 — lists Hinman as No. 1 in multiple class rankings
• yhm-arc-pub-cat-1884-85 — lists Hinman as a recent alumnus

Related Topics

• Founding and Early History — Hinman as an 1880s-era Hamilton student
• Course Catalogs Collection — documented in four consecutive catalogs
• Hamilton Life Archive — covered from 1905 through death in 1927

Related Entities

• chester-sanders-lord — fellow Hamilton alumnus and contemporary at the New York Sun