Oral history interview with John Herman Henry Sengstacke, 1972.

Biographical Note

John H. Sengstacke (1912-1997) graduated from the Hampton Institute in 1933. Additionally, he studied at the Mergenthaler Linotype School, Chicago School of Printing, Northwestern University, and Ohio State University. Sengstacke, a descendent of German immigrants and a former slave, studied under and worked with his uncle to learn the newspaper and printing trade. He became the vice president and general manager of Robert S. Abbott Publishing in 1934, and upon his uncle's death in 1940 led the publishing company and The Chicago Defender as well. Sengstacke also established the National Newspaper Publisher Association (NNPA) and simultaneously managed the Robert S. Abbott Publishing Company, Sengstacke Enterprises, and Amalgamated Publishers. Additionally, Sengstacke was active in civic affairs at the national, state and local levels.

Scope and Contents

In this 1972 interview with Henry La Brie, John H. Sengstacke discusses his family and its role in the publishing industry, how he came to lead Abbott Publishing, and his contribution to the industry. Sengstacke discusses his education, work with his father on the Woodville Times and the West End Post, and his mentorship at the Chicago Defender under the direction of his uncle, Robert S. Abbott. Sengstacke recalls the history of the Chicago Defender from its founding by his uncle, its condition when he arrived, and the family battle over the control of the paper and its operations. He also discusses the racial composition of the Defender's staff and the steps taken to ensure that blacks were eligible for the unionized mechanical positions at a time when unions excluded blacks from membership. Sengstacke also discusses the importance of the black press' being black owned, challenges faced by the black press, and the black press' role in ending discrimination in America and its Armed Forces. He also discusses access to advertising dollars and the right to access news sources, specifically briefings related to military operations during World War II. He discusses the formation of the National Newspaper Publishers Association, the need to preserve the history of the black press, and his role in local and national politics.

Subjects

• African American journalists.
• African American press.
• African Americans--Civil rights.
• Chicago (Ill.)--Newspapers.
• Chicago defender.
• Editors--Interviews.
• Interviews.
• Journalists--Interviews.
• La Brie, Henry G., interviewer.--http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/relators/ivr
• Newspaper publishing--Economic aspects--United States.
• Newspapers--Circulation.
• Oral histories (literary works)
• Sengstacke, John Herman Henry, 1912-1997--Interviews.
• United States--Race relations.