John McClelland Jr.

John McClelland, a newspaper editor and publisher with a passion for Washington history, died on Oct. 30, 2010. He earned his A.B. from Stanford University in 1937, and served in the U.S. Navy during World War II from 1942 to 1945. John McClelland chronicled the development of Longview, Washington, a town founded by his great-uncle R. A. Long, and wrote four books on Washington history. His publishing career began when he joined the staff of The Daily News in 1939, a family newspaper published by his father. He served as editor from 1940 to 1974, and publisher from 1955 to 1977. He became chief executive officer of Longview Publishing Company in 1977, retiring in 1986. He was widely known for a front-page editorial column in The Daily News that he wrote for decades. The publishing company grew to include other small Washington papers and two magazines, Washington and Columbia: The Magazine of Northwest History. The Daily News won a Pulitzer Prize in 1981 for its extensive coverage of the Mount St. Helens eruption. A book, Volcano: The Eruption of Mount St. Helens (1980) by the writers and editors of The Daily News, made the New York Times bestseller list. A poignant note, John McClelland was married to his high school sweetheart, Burdette Craig, for 71 years. She predeceased him on October 4 and his death coincided with her memorial service in Seattle.