George Gough Booth
George Gough Booth (1864 – 1949) was the publisher of the privately held Evening News Association, a co-founder of Booth Newspapers, and a noted philanthropist.
[edit] Publishing career
Booth got his start in the newspaper industry as the son-in-law of James E. Scripps (who, in turn, was the older half-brother and one-time partner of E.W. Scripps). The Evening News Association at one time held newspaper and broadcasting properties located from coast to coast. During Booth's time, the ENA consisted of only the The Detroit News and WWJ AM-FM-TV. It was eventually sold to the Gannett Company in 1985. Currently the MediaNews Group owns The Detroit News.
With his two brothers, George founded the independent Booth Newspapers, a chain spanning the southern half of Michigan. That group was sold to Advance Publications, a Samuel I. Newhouse property, in 1976.
[edit] Philanthropy
Booth and his wife, Ellen Scripps Booth, founded the world-renowned Cranbrook Educational Community (CEC) in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. In 1904, the Booths purchased the site of the present-day CEC as a place for their summer home. They hired noted architect Albert Kahn to design their country manor, Cranbrook House. As their country estate grew both in purpose and in scale, Booth had both noted architect Eliel Saarinen and renowned sculptor Carl Milles in residence for many years at CEC.
Booth was an avid student of the Arts and Crafts movement and, together, brothers Ralph and George Booth were major benefactors of the Detroit Institute of Arts.
