William Rockhill Nelson distinguished himself as one of America's most powerful, crusading, and exemplary journalists by devoting his newspaper single-mindedly to the betterment of a city and its people. Nelson came to Kansas City, Missouri, where he founded the Evening Star in 1880, with long-established penchants for contrariness in school, business, and politics, and for making enemies. Yet he also tended toward building, leading, and fostering progress. The Evening Star, eventually renamed simply the Star, reflected Nelson's early work experience and his personality traits in a dynamic way. He directed the Star relentlessly in campaigns for vast civic improvements, including parks and boulevards. He crusaded ceaselessly against municipal vice and corruption. Wherever Nelson perceived threats to the progress of the city and the welfare of Kansas Citians, he flooded the community with news and editorial comment to expose the danger. By the end of his thirty-five years as owner...