Smith, Henry Justin (Died)

Henry Justin Smith, 220 Hazel avenue, Glencoe, managing editor of the Chicago Daily News and one of the foremost authorities on the history of Chicago, died of pneumonia Sunday afternoon at 5:30 o'clock in Evanston hospital. He was 60 years old.

Mr. Smith, a former Wilmette resident, had been ill less than a week. He complained of feeling ill Monday of last week, but apparently improved and he went to his office at the Daily News building on the following Thursday. When he again became ill, he returned to his home, where a physician found he was suffering with bronchial pneumonia.

Fails to Rally [heading]

He failed to rally and was removed to the hospital early Sunday afternoon. Almost immediately afterward he suffered a sinking spell and in a vain effort to save him he was placed in an oxygen tent. At the bedside when he died were his wife, Mrs. Katherine A. Smith, and Paul Mowrer, his associate editor.

Messages of condolence have poured in from leaders throughout the world.

Funeral services were held at 1:30 o'clock Wednesday afternoon of this week at the Glencoe Union church. Dr. Douglas H. Cornell, pastor of the church; Dr. Edward Scribner Ames, head of the philosophy department at the University of Chicago, and pastor of the University Church of the Disciples, and Dr. Edgar J. Goodsped of the University of Chicago faculty officiated. Burial was in Mount Hope cemetery.

Native of Chicago [heading]

Mr. Smith was a native of Chicago, the son of Justin A. and Mary I. [?] Smith. He received his formal education at the Morgan Park Military academy and the University of Chicago. In 1899 he became a reporter on the staff of the Daily News. He was city editor from 1901 to 1906, assistant managing editor from 1906 to 1913 and news editor from 1913 to 1924.

In the latter year Mr. Smith left the newspaper field to become assistant to the president of the University of Chicago. While there he devoted much of his time to perfecting public relations methods, particularly in sending out interesting press releases.

When he went back to the Daily News in 1926, it was as managing editor and he remained continuously in that post through all changes of ownership.

Historian and Fictionist [heading]

Mr. Smith was born a historian and an author of fiction. With Lloyd Lewis, he was co-author of "Chicago: The History of Its Reputation." Other works which he wrote without collaboration included "Chicago: A Portrait," and "Chicago's Great Century."

Several of his fictional works were popular. Among them were "Deadlines and Josslyn." In 1931 Mr. Smith was awarded the fiction prize of the Chicago Foundation for Literature. His associates in newspaper work recalled that he always stressed good writing above all other qualities, and insisted that it was more important in daily publications than in books or magazines.

He was to have received shortly the decoration of the Legion of Honor of the French government through Rene Weiller, French consul in Chicago, given in general recognition of Mr. Smith's interest in the French societies and litierature. The fact that Mrs. Smith was a member of the Alliance Francaise automatically made him a member. He had special contact for the Daily News in Paris during part of the World war, and since that time especially, he and Mrs.Smith have been much interested in French literature, socieities and the French people.