Donald E. Newhouse, a major figure in U.S. newspaper publishing and a former chairman of The Associated Press board, died Tuesday at age 96, his family said. He died at his home in New Jersey. Newhouse spent decades leading Advance Publications’ newspaper group, part of a business that began with his late father, Samuel Irving Newhouse Sr., in 1922.
In a tribute released Tuesday night through the Newhouse family, Anna Wintour described him as a person who could bring energy and humor to moments when others felt “doubtful and weak.” Wintour called Newhouse someone who “reveled in his company,” according to the obituary.
Louis D. Boccardi, the retired president and CEO of the Associated Press, said Newhouse was an “extraordinary chairman for the cooperative.” Boccardi said Newhouse’s “voice was never the loudest in the room,” but that it was “often the wisest,” adding that Newhouse was instinctively private yet “behind that, was a generous man,” who was “curious about everything.”
Newhouse’s family said he oversaw the 35 newspapers of Advance Publications for nearly 50 years, navigating how news distribution changed as the internet arrived. His brother, S.I. Newhouse Jr., served as chairman of the company and oversaw Conde Nast magazines, and he died in 2017.
Career notes in the obituary emphasized Newhouse’s reputation for staying out of the public eye. The report said a reporter once asked him to list the biggest chances he took in his career, and Newhouse’s answer was, “Inviting your questions.” The obituary also described him as stepping into visible leadership roles in journalism organizations despite that general preference for privacy.
Newhouse served as president of The Star-Ledger in Newark, New Jersey, and later led major industry and AP governance posts. He became chairman of the Newspaper Association of America from 1993 to 1994, and he chaired the Associated Press board of directors from 1997 to 2002, after serving on the AP board for nine years.
During his tenure in those roles, Newhouse was described as a leader who favored giving editors control while the company invested in quality reporting. The obituary quoted him from 1993, when he took over as chairman of the newspaper association: “Each of our newspapers operates independently, with publishers who are strong, who set policy for their individual organizations and who have the authority and responsibility of carrying out the policies they set.”
The Newhouse family’s obituary also said he spent money to ensure papers got “the best stories.” Jim Willse, editor of The Star-Ledger from 1995 until 2010, said the company “added staff, modernized the design, took on investigations and other major projects,” and that from 2001 to 2012 Advance’s newspaper group was awarded a dozen Pulitzers.
Even as the obituary highlighted successes, it also described how Advance’s approach faced pressure as media technology changed. It cited an employee pledge that was part of Advance’s reputation—jobs were guaranteed for employees not in a union regardless of economic downturns or technological advances—before the company announced in 2009 that the pledge would be withdrawn. It also noted that in 2012 Advance ended daily publication for several newspapers, switching to limited print days and accompanying the changes with hundreds of layoffs.
The obituary included a critique of Advance’s preparations for the internet era. Thomas Maier, who wrote a 1994 biography of the family, said Newhouse’s “conservative approach left both the papers and its employees somewhat unprepared for the realities of the internet.” The report added that Newhouse’s eldest son, Steven, spearheaded growth on the internet and mobile devices, and that Steven Newhouse is currently co-president of Advance Publications.
In the obituary, Newhouse’s family described his personal interests alongside his professional life. It said his daughter, Katherine Mele, described his favorite pastime as 3-mile (4.8-kilometer) walks with the family. The obituary also noted that while he attended Syracuse University, he never graduated at the time, only receiving a degree in 2016 and giving the commencement address.
Newhouse was survived by his children and grandchildren. The obituary said his wife, Susan, died in 2015. It also said he spent time visiting his newspapers while leaving the ultimate authority for running them with publishers, reflecting the leadership approach described in the quotes from 1993.