David C. Copley | |
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Born |
David Casey Hunt January 31, 1952 San Diego, California |
Died | November 20, 2012 La Jolla, California |
(aged 60)
Cause of death | Heart Attack |
Nationality | United States |
Education | BA (Business Administration), Menlo College, 1975 |
Employer | Copley Press |
Known for | newspaper publisher, philanthropist |
Title | President of Copley Press |
Term | 1988-2012 |
Predecessor | Helen K. Copley |
Parent(s) |
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David C. Copley (January 31, 1952 – November 20, 2012) was an American publishing heir, on the board of the Copley Press for over thirty years, becoming president and owner, as well as publisher of the San Diego Union-Tribune. He was a noted philanthropist.
Copley was born as David Hunt in San Diego in 1952, the son of Helen K. Copley. He went to boarding school at Canterbury School, graduating in 1970. In 1988, the school dedicated David Casey Copley Library is his honor. He went on to attain a BA in Business Administration from Menlo College in 1975.
His mother worked for James Copley, the owner of Copley Press, as secretary, marrying him in 1965. On her husband's death she became owner of the Copley Press chain of some 20 newspapers and a wire service, the Copley News Service. Copley was formally adopted two months after the wedding.
Copley joined the board of directors of Copley Press in 1975, becoming senior vice president and assistant to the president in 1984. In 1988, he became president of Copley Press and in 1997 he became publisher of the San Diego Union-Tribune. During his tenure as publisher, the U-T won two Pulitzer Prizes: one was in 2006 for its rôle in uncovering the Duke Cunningham bribery scandal; the other was in 2009 for the work of editorial cartoonist Steve Breen. In 2007/2008, the paper also won the California Newspaper Publishers Association's Best in the State award. In May 2009 the San Diego Union-Tribune was sold to a Beverly Hills investment firm.