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 The July 27, 2005 front page of The Beaumont Enterprise | |
| Type | Dailynewspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Owner | Hearst Communications |
| Founder | John W. Leonard |
| Publisher | Jeff Bergin |
| Editor | Kaitlin Bain |
| Founded | 1880 |
| Headquarters | 380 Main Street Beaumont,TX 77701 United States |
| Circulation | 5,925 (as of 2023)[1] |
| Website | beaumontenterprise.com |
The Beaumont Enterprise is a newspaper ofHearst Communications, headquartered inBeaumont, Texas.[2] It has been in operation since 1880.
John W. Leonard founded the initialEnterprise as a weekly newspaper in 1880.[3] It became a daily under editor W.W. McLeod in 1896 or 1897, to compete with crosstown rivalBeaumont Journal[4] (founded 1889).[5]
In 1907,William P. Hobby became manager and part owner of theEnterprise[6] and bought the paper outright in 1920,[7] whileGovernor of Texas. One of his co-owners was general manager/associate publisher James Mapes.[8] According to the Texas State Historical Association, theEnterprise "attained national stature" under Mapes' leadership — He came to the newspaper in 1908 and rose to ownership by 1931.[5]
In 1918, Waco-based newspapermen Charles E. Marsh and E.S. Fentress purchased the crosstown competitorBeaumont Journal. Buying two other nearby papers (the weeklyPort Arthur News[9] and the dailyOrange Leader), the pair boosted theJournal circulation and eventually Hobby bought theJournal.[10]
Jefferson-Pilot bought theEnterprise andJournal in 1970.[11] Operating separately under the same company for many years, theEnterprise andJournal merged in 1983.[5] TheHearst Corporation acquired theEnterprise from the Jefferson-Pilot insurance company's publications arm in 1984.[12][13]
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