Ezra Norton

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Ezra Norton (8 April 1897 – 4 January 1967) was an Australian newspaper proprietor.

Contents

[edit] Early life

Norton was born in the Sydney suburb of Watsons Bay, son of the proprietor of the Truth, John Norton and Ada McGrath, whom he married some weeks later. During his childhood he was subject to his father's drunken assaults on his mother and himself. He was educated at Scots College, Bellevue Hill. After failing to matriculate twice, he was sent to Christian Brothers' College, Waverley, where he was treated better.[1]

Norton learned the newspaper trade in his father's business. His father died in 1916, but had disinherited his wife and son and left the bulk of his estate to Ezra's sister Joan. His mother persusaded the New South Wales Parliament to backdate the new Testator's Family Maintenance Act to take effect before his father's death. Under this legislation, she succeeded in having his will rewritten in 1920 so that she and Ezra Norton each received a third of his inheritance, allowing Ezra Norton to gain control of Truth and Sportsman Ltd the publisher of the Sydney Truth, the Melbourne Truth, sister papers in Brisbane and Perth and the Sydney Sportsman, each published on Sundays.[1]

[edit] Newspaper proprietor

Norton attempted to widen his papers range by adding a little discussion of culture, but they soon moved back to their traditional coverage of sport, crime and divorce. Frank Packer's launch of the Sunday Telegraph in 1939 undermined the viability of the Sydney Truth and he attempted to fight back by establishing a daily paper to compete with the Telegraph and the Sun. Despite wartime paper rationing,Also in 1939 Norton and Packer fought it out in a fight at randwick race's Packer being a former N.S.W boxing champion Ezra beating Frank in front of the member's. Norton gained a licence from the Minister for Trade and Customs, Eric Harrison to print the the Daily Mirror in 1941. In October 1958, Norton and his partners sold his newspapers to the Fairfax group, which immediately sold it to Rupert Murdoch's News Ltd.[1]

[edit] Family

Norton married Lillian Mary (Molly) Willoughby in 1922, a 29-year-old dancing teacher and adopted her son. Following her death in 1952, Norton married Emma Georgina (Peggy) Morrison. Norton died of cancer in his Vaucluse home, survived by his wife and their daughter and his adopted son of his first marriage.[1]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b c d Lawson, Valerie. Norton, Ezra (1897 - 1967). Australian Dictionary of Biography. Australian National University. Retrieved on 2007-08-20.
Persondata
NAME Norton, Ezra
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION Australian newspaper proprietor
DATE OF BIRTH 8 April 1897
PLACE OF BIRTH Watsons Bay, New South Wales
DATE OF DEATH 4 January 1967
PLACE OF DEATH Vaucluse, New South Wales