Former Democrat publisher Erwin Potts dies at 85

Erwin Potts, who led the Tallahassee Democrat for three years before lifting the McClatchy newspaper chain to national prominence, has died.

Potts, 85, died May 18 following injuries suffered in an accident at his vacation home in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. He was a resident of El Dorado Hills, Calif.

Potts was a career newspaperman, who worked as a reporter and editor before moving into management with two newspaper corporations.

Potts was general manager of the Tallahassee Democrat from 1970 to 1973 when it was still an afternoon newspaper. The newspaper was owned by Knight Ridder Inc., and Potts’ title was the equivalent of publisher and CEO.

“Erwin Potts was that rare combination of accomplished journalist and excellent businessman. He was a leader in American newspapering for decades,” said Carrol Dadisman, publisher of the Tallahassee Democrat from 1981 to 1997. “He was also a gentleman and community leader. Tallahassee and the Democrat were fortunate to have his leadership for a time early in his career.”

Potts was a native of Pineville, N.C. He attended Mars Hill College before graduating from the University of North Carolina College of Journalism in 1954.

He spent two years after college as a reporter for the Charlotte Observer and News, before joining the Marines for two years. He then spent 12 years (1958-1970) as a reporter, city editor and assistant manager at the Knight Ridder-owned Miami Herald, before his assignment to Tallahassee. He left the Democrat to become general manager of Knight Ridder’s Charlotte Observer and News.

In 1975, Potts was recruited to the McClatchy Company, where he rose to become president, CEO and chairman of the board before retiring in 1996. Potts was the first non-family member to lead the Sacramento, Calif.-based McClatchy chain. He was credited with improving its finances, the quality of its newspapers and overseeing McClatchy’s rise from a private company with three newspapers into one of the nation’s major media companies, which now owns 29 newspapers.

In 2006, McClatchy purchased Knight Ridder Inc., then the nation’s second-largest newspaper company. The year before, the Tallahassee Democrat was sold to Gannett Company, the nation’s largest newspaper chain.

“Erwin was a wonderful man who was dedicated not only to the McClatchy Co., but also the McClatchy family,” said Kevin McClatchy, chairman of the board. “He took the reins of this company during a tumultuous time, after my father’s passing, and was instrumental in driving McClatchy’s growth during that period. He truly will be missed.”

Gerald Ensley is a retired Democrat reporter. He can be contacted at geraldensley21@gmail.com.