James Keeley ushered the Chicago Tribune into the twentieth century. As managing editor and general manager from 1898 to 1914, he shaped the Tribune to meet his idea of the modern newspaper: an independent institution that gave "personal service" to its readers. He tried to make the Tribune a "friend" of its readers at a time when the city was becoming an impersonal place. A model of the incorruptible, tough, cigar-chewing editor, Keeley won the loyalty of his reporters and readers. When the Tribune referred to itself in advertisements as "The World's Greatest Newspaper," it cited Keeley's principles as the reason why.

Keeley was born 14 October 1867 in London. He told friends that his first memories were of a foundling home and that he grew up scrambling for a living as a newsboy in the Whitechapel district. Passing a booking agent's shop one day, he said, he spotted a leftover ticket...