Martin James McGowan Jr. (1920 - 2009)

Born 28 Oct 1920 in Appleton, Minnesota

Ancestors

Son of Martin James McGowan Sr. and Olga Wilhelmina (Vieg) McGowan

Husband of Elizabeth Jane (Nolan) McGowan — married 3 Jul 1943 in St. Francis Church, Brainerd, Minnesota

Descendants

Died 13 Aug 2009 at age 88 in Abbott Northwestern Hospital, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Marty McGowan [send private message], Meg McGowan [send private message], and Brendan McGowan [send private message]

Biography

Marty McGowan Jr. is Notable.

This profile is part of the Appleton, Minnesota One Place Study.

Marty McGowan Jr. was an award-winning editor/publisher of weekly newspapers in Appleton, Benson, and Blue Earth, Minnesota. He served in the Minnesota State Legislature and later was named chair of the Minnesota Ethical Practices Board.

Early Life

Marty was the second of two children born to Martin and Olga Vieg McGowan. An older sister died shortly after birth. His mother died of tuberculosis before Marty was two years old. He was brought up by his grandmother,^[1] until his father remarried.^[2]

Marty and his mother Olga.

Marty attended Appleton public schools. During his school years, he was editor of the school paper, participated in class plays, declamation contests, and the tennis team, and sang bass in a men's quartet which went on to statewide music competition.^[3]

He attended Notre Dame University^[4] and graduated from the University of Missouri in 1943.^[5]

Journalism and Political Career

During World War II after being rejected for military service due to allergies, he returned to Appleton to help his father publish the Appleton Press and learned how to operate a linotype machine.^[6] He also served as a company clerk at the local National Guard Armory.

He married Appleton teacher Betty Nolan when he was 22 years old.^[7] They were married for 66 years, and the parents of nine children.

After the war, Marty took on greater news responsibility at the Appleton Press, so that his father could ease up on responsibilities as his health declined. Marty became editor and publisher upon his father's death.^[8]

In his office at the Appleton Press.

He was elected to the Minnesota State Legislature for four terms representing Swift County from 1959 to 1967.^[9]Legislators were elected on a non-partisan basis at the time, and Marty was a member of the Liberal Caucus. He worked unsuccessfully to pass a newspaper shield law to protect journalists from disclosing news sources, and attempted to stave off a state sales tax when he was a minority member of the Tax Committee.^[10]

In addition to the Appleton paper, Marty bought the newspapers in Benson, Minnesota, in 1960. After operating papers in two towns and spending several months each year in the legislature, he decided to ease up on his responsibilities and sell the Benson newspapers in 1962.^[11] About the same time, the Appleton Press was named the best small weekly newspaper in Minnesota by the Minnesota Newspaper Association under his editorship.^[12]

In 1966, Marty accepted a position with KTCA public television station in St. Paul, as a grants writer and government liaison.^[13]Among his projects was a program, "Seminars for Seniors," which he also moderated. After the family moved from Appleton to St. Paul, he was urged to run again for the state legislature from a district in that city, but was not elected.

Marty returned to newspaper work in 1970 invited as a partner in a weekly newspaper in New Richmond, Wisconsin. The partnership was unsuccessful, and Marty then purchased the newspaper in Blue Earth, Minnesota.^[14] Marty also bought two smaller papers in nearby communities, the Elmore Eye, and the Winnebago Enterprise.^[15] For a time, Marty's son Vince joined him on the paper with the title of managing editor. Betty also helped run the paper, selling advertising, collecting bills, and taking photographs.

Although many conservative residents of Blue Earth "did not take kindly to my more liberal ideas," ^[16] the business prospered for several years.

Ham Radio

Marty was also a long-time ham radio operator with the call sign W0UGV. He received the DX Century Club award given by the American Radio Relay League several times for connecting with hams in 100 different countries in one year.^[17]

Later Years

In 1978, Marty sold the Blue Earth papers, and took a position as news director at the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, Minnesota, and later as an account representative for Volkmuth Printing in St. Cloud, Minnesota.

In retirement, Mary and Betty built a home on Pelican Lake, near Pequot Lakes, Minnesota. The property had been in Betty's family since her grandfather Henry Theviot had purchased it.

Marty served as chair of the Minnesota Ethical Practices board for two terms. The board supervised the reporting of campaign contributions and lobbying spending reports.^[18] He covered County Board meetings for the Lake Region Echo in Pequot Lakes, Minnesota, until his health prevented him from working.^[19]

Marty and Betty later moved to the Lyngblomsten retirement community in Saint Paul. Marty died at age 88,^[20] and is buried in the McGowan family plot in Appleton Cemetery, Appleton, Minnesota.

Sources

1. ↑ "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X3DR-KXG : accessed 25 October 2019), Martin J Mcgowan in household of Martin Mcgowan, Appleton, Swift, Minnesota, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 2, sheet 3A, line 47, family 62, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 1132; FHL microfilm 2,340,867.
2. ↑ "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KSLM-972 : 27 July 2019), Martin Mcgowan in household of Martin Mcgowan, Appleton, Appleton Village, Swift, Minnesota, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 76-2, sheet 9A, line 20, family 176, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 1963.
3. ↑ "My Early Years," Autobiographical notes by Marty McGowan, 2000.
4. ↑ "Notre Dame," Autobiographical notes by Marty McGowan, 2000.
5. ↑ "Starting with the Linotype," Autobiographical notes by Marty McGowan, 2000.
6. ↑ "The War Years," Autobiographical notes by Marty McGowan, 2000.
7. ↑ "Betty," Autobiographical notes by Marty McGowan, 2000.
8. ↑ "My Father Dies," Autobiographical notes by Marty McGowan, 2000.
9. ↑ Legislators Past and Present Minnesota Legislative Reference Library.
10. ↑ "Politics," Autobiographical notes by Marty McGowan, 2000.
11. ↑ "Monitor and News," Autobiographical notes by Marty McGowan, 2000.
12. ↑ "Appleton Press Prints All the News, Steps on Some Toes," Saint Paul Sunday Pioneer Press, June 17, 1962, p. 1
13. ↑ "Changing Careers," Autobiographical notes by Marty McGowan, 2000.
14. ↑ "On to Blue Earth," Autobiographical notes by Marty McGowan, 2000.
15. ↑ "Three Towns, Three Newspapers," Autobiographical notes by Marty McGowan, 2000.
16. ↑ "On to Blue Earth" Autobiographical notes by Marty McGowan, 2000.
17. ↑ "Martin McGowan, 88, had printer's ink in his blood," Obituary in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, August 19, 2009.
18. ↑ "Perpich appoints Marty McGowan to state board," Swift County Monitor, September 26, 1984.
19. ↑ "The Retirement Years," Autobiographical notes by Marty McGowan, 2000.
20. ↑ "United States Social Security Death Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VS7F-Y5M : 20 May 2014), Martin James Mcgowan, 13 Aug 2009; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).

• Maternal relationship is confirmed by an AncestryDNA test match between Martin's daughter Meg and her second cousin. Their most-recent common ancestors are their great grandparents, August Vieg and Gertrude Jonsdotter Vieg. Predicted relationship from AncestryDNA: 2nd Cousins, based on sharing 143 cM across 7 segments; Confidence: Extremely High.
• Paternal relationship is confirmed with a FamilyTreeDNA match between Meg McGowan and Eleanor Simcoe, niece and aunt. Predicted relationship by Family Tree DNA: Aunt based on 984 shared Cm across 33 segments.
• Legislators Past & Present
• Obituary in Minneapolis Star-Tribune
• Wikipedia