Arthur Capper
A Kansas newspaper publisher turned enduring political force, he served in the U.S. Senate for three decades while maintaining a powerful media voice.
1865–1951 (age 86)·American politician·Birthday: July 14·The Gilded Age
Biography
Arthur Capper’s story is one of ink-stained hands shaping political power. Born in Garnett, Kansas, he built a media empire from the ground up, purchasing the Topeka Daily Capital and later venturing into radio. This platform gave him a direct line to the public, a connection he leveraged into a successful political career. He served as Kansas governor before moving to the U.S. Senate in 1919, where he became a fixture for thirty years. Capper was not a flashy orator; his influence stemmed from his Midwestern pragmatism and his understanding of agricultural issues vital to his state. He remained a publisher throughout his Senate tenure, an unusual duality that made him one of the last of a breed: the politician-proprietor whose editorial page and senate vote carried equal weight.
The Gilded Age
1860–1882
Born during or after the Civil War, they built industrial America — the railroads, the steel mills, the first skyscrapers. An era of massive wealth, massive inequality, and the belief that the future belonged to whoever could build it fastest.
Arthur was born in 1865, placing them squarely in The Gilded Age. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Arthur Was Born
The biggest hits of 1865
Arthur's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1865Born
President: Andrew Johnson
1870Started school
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1878Became a teenager
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1881Could drive
President: Chester A. Arthur
1883Could vote
President: Chester A. Arthur
1886Turned 21
Statue of Liberty dedicated in New York Harbor
President: Grover Cleveland
1895Turned 30
First public film screening by the Lumiere brothers
President: Grover Cleveland
1905Turned 40
Einstein publishes the theory of special relativity
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1915Turned 50
The Lusitania is sunk by a German U-boat
President: Woodrow Wilson
1925Turned 60
The Scopes Trial debates evolution in schools
Home: $4,366President: Calvin Coolidge"Sweet Georgia Brown" — Ben Bernie
1935Turned 70
Social Security Act signed into law
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,450President: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Cheek to Cheek" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Mutiny on the Bounty
1945Turned 80
WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
1951Died at 86
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
Key Achievements
- Served as a United States Senator from Kansas for thirty years, from 1919 to 1949.
- Elected as the 20th Governor of Kansas, serving from 1915 to 1919.
- Owned and published the influential Topeka Daily Capital newspaper for decades.
- Expanded his media holdings to include WIBW, a major radio station in Topeka.
Did You Know?
He was the last U.S. Senator to have also served as a state governor during the Civil War.
Capper was married to Florence Crawford, a pioneering journalist and publisher in her own right.
The Capper–Volstead Act of 1922, which he co-sponsored, gave critical legal protections to agricultural cooperatives.
“The farmer's vote and the front page are the twin pillars of this republic.”
