Clarence W. Barron

Clarence Walker Barron (July 2, 1855 – October 2, 1928) was an American financial editor and publisher who founded the Dow Jones financial journal, Barron's National Financial Weekly, later renamed Barron's Magazine.

He was one of the most influential figures in the history of Dow Jones. As a career newsman described as a "short, rotund powerhouse", he died holding the posts of president of Dow Jones and de facto manager of The Wall Street Journal. He is considered the founder of modern financial journalism.

Early life and education

Barron was born in Boston and graduated from Boston English High School in 1873.

Career

Barron began his journalism career as a reporter for the Boston Daily News from 1875 to 1878 and the Boston Evening Transcript from 1878 to 1887. At the Transcript, Barron gradually focused on financial news. He founded the Boston News Bureau in 1887 and the Philadelphia News Bureau in 1897, supplying financial news to brokers. Barron sought to improve objectivity in financial journalism to reflect what he called "the public interest, the financial truth for investors and the funds that should support the widow and the orphan."

In 1902, Barron purchased Dow Jones & Company for $130,000, following the death of co-founder Charles Dow. In 1912, he appointed himself president of Dow Jones and its newspaper The Wall Street Journal. Under Barron, The Wall Street Journal gained new printing presses and expanded reporting staff, with circulation increasing from 7,000 in 1912 to over 18,000 in 1920 to beyond 50,000 by 1930.