From 1878 to 1887, he was a reporter covering many beats but then began gravitating toward financial reporting.
In 1887, he founded the Boston News Bureau and in 1897 the Philadelphia News Bureau providing financial news to brokers.
In March 1903, after founder Charles Dow Jones died, Barron purchased control of Dow Jones & Company for $130,000. The Wall Street Journal is the flagship of the company.
At that time the paper’s circulation had already reached 7000; by the end of 1920 it reached 18,750. In 1912, he assumed the title of president and set out to expand the circulation of the newspaper, The Wall Street Journal. Barron introduced new printing equipment, and the news gathering side of the company expanded.
Dow Jones & Company survived and thrived by editorial and technological innovation, enabling it to collect revenue from a variety of customers and advertisers.
Dow Jones remained an influential and prosperous entity during the early years of the twenty-first century. Dow Jones & Company remained in the family until 2007 when Down Jones was acquired by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation.
Barron is widely considered the father of American financial journalism.
Clarence W. Barron of Dow Jones & Company (1855 - 1928)
