Thomas M. Storke facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Thomas M. Storke
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| United States Senator from California |
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| In office November 9, 1938 – January 3, 1939 |
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| Appointed by | Frank Merriam |
| Preceded by | William Gibbs McAdoo |
| Succeeded by | Sheridan Downey |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 23, 1876 Santa Barbara, California, U.S. |
| Died | October 12, 1971 (aged 94) Santa Barbara, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Santa Barbara Cemetery, Montecito, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouses | Elsie Smith (1880-1916), m. 1904 Marion Elizabeth Day (1892-1981), m. 1920 |
| Children | 5 |
| Relatives | Charles A. Storke (father) Yda Hillis Addis (step mother) |
| Alma mater | Stanford University |
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Thomas More Storke (born November 23, 1876 – died October 12, 1971) was an important American journalist, politician, and newspaper publisher. He won the famous Pulitzer Prize for Journalism in 1962. Storke also served for a short time as a United States Senator. He was appointed to this role in November 1938 and served until January 1939.
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Thomas Storke's Early Life
Thomas Storke was born in Santa Barbara, California. He was an only child. Growing up, he learned to speak both Spanish and English. His father, Charles A. Storke, was a well-known local politician. Thomas went to public schools. He later attended Stanford University one year early. He earned a degree in Economics in 1898 when he was 22 years old.
Starting a Journalism Career
In 1900, Thomas Storke borrowed $2,000. He used this money to buy the Santa Barbara Daily Independent. At the time, this was the least popular newspaper in town. In 1909, he sold the newspaper to try working in the oil business.
Later, in 1913, he bought another newspaper, the Santa Barbara Daily News. Before that, he was also appointed as the postmaster for Santa Barbara. Storke later bought back the Daily Independent. He combined it with the Daily News to create the Santa Barbara Daily News & Independent.
Years later, Storke bought The Morning Press, which was Santa Barbara's third newspaper. He then combined these papers to form The News-Press. After 23 years, he sold The News-Press for nearly 10 million dollars. It was bought by the publisher of The Philadelphia Bulletin.
Thomas Storke's Contributions
Thomas Storke used his political influence to help get the land for the current University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) campus. This land was over 900 acres and was once a military base. He helped the university get it from the U.S. Government. This happened through a special program for college land.
Storke Tower at UCSB
One of Storke's lasting contributions is Storke Tower. This is a tall, 190-foot building in the middle of the UCSB campus. It is the tallest tower in the county. It also has the only five-octave chromatic bell system in the area.
Below Storke Tower is the Storke Communication Plaza. This area houses the offices of the campus newspaper, the Daily Nexus. It also has the studios for the community radio station KCSB-FM.
