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"At an age when most young boys were learning how to throw a curve ball, Adolph Ochs was learning how to run a newspaper," said Mayor Giuliani. "The jobs he held in his early years taught him lessons that his peers didn't learn in the classroom, lessons that shaped the rest of his life. And although Adolph never finished high school, he published a newspaper read by the intellectual elite of this City and this Nation.
"As a part of the centennial celebration of the New York Times, this street sign will forever stand as a symbol to the work of a man who created a great newspaper," continued the Mayor. "The spirit that makes New York City the capital of the world, the spirit of excitement, vitality, and innovation that set this City apart, is the spirit of Adolph Ochs."
In 1896, on his 38th birthday, Mr. Ochs bought the nearly bankrupt New York Times and acquired controlling ownership on August 18, 1896. His first issue was published the next day. By the end of 1897, the paper's circulation had doubled and its future appeared to be secure along with Ochs' famed slogan, "All the News That's Fit to Print."
Adolph Ochs is responsible for numerous innovations in printing and media technology. His dedication to the New York Times allowed it to grow into a successful business. In addition, his rigorous standards of editorial integrity won the paper the first of seventy Pulitzer Prize awards in June, 1918 and helped it to become one of the most respected newspapers in the world.
Adolph Ochs died in Chattanooga on April 8, 1935. His will stated his vision for the New York Times as "an independent newspaper, entirely fearless, devoted to the public welfare without regard to individual advantage or ambition, the claims of party politics or personal prejudice or predilection."