The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07.
Bennett, James Gordon, 1841–1918, American newspaper publisher
1841–1918, American newspaper proprietor, b. New York City; son of James Gordon Bennett. Educated mostly in France, he took over (1867) from his father the management of the New York Herald. In 1869–71 he financed Henry Stanley’s expedition into Africa to find David Livingston, and from 1879 to 1881 he supported the ill-fated expedition of G. W. De Long to the arctic region. In reporting international news the Herald scored repeated triumphs. After 1877, Bennett lived mostly in Paris, directing his newspapers by cable, and with John W. Mackay he organized (1883) the Commercial Cable Company to handle European dispatches. He established London and Paris daily editions of the Herald; the Paris paper was an unprofitable, sincere attempt to promote international goodwill. Bennett was fond of sports, especially of yachting, and established the James Gordon Bennett cup as a trophy in international yacht races and similar cups for balloon and airplane races.
