Don and Agnes Lynch purchase 100 percent of Argus-Observer as Mainwaring takes over Salem’s Capital Journal

The Feb. 2, 1953 issue of The Argus-Observer reported that Bernard Mainwaring, who financed a partnership purchase of The Argus and the Eastern Oregon Observer in 1947, sold his interest to his “junior partner” Don Lynch and his wife Agnes Lynch.

Mainwaring, publisher of the Napa, Idaho Free Press and a partner in the Baker, Oregon Democrat-Herald, had sold his interest in all three of his Idaho and Eastern Oregon newspaper properties to finance his purchase of the Salem Capital Journal.

Mainwaring explained that he wanted to own the Salem paper since his days as a college student at Oregon State University.

Lucian P. Arant, who was Mainwaring’s partner in the Baker and Nampa papers while on-site publisher in Baker, purchased Mainwaring’s interest in that Baker newspaper and financed the Lynch’ purchase of the Argus-Observer.

In his next The Argus Observes column, published Feb. 5, 1953, Don Lynch described Mainwaring as a “near-genius as a newspaper publisher” for a multitude of reasons including Mainwaring’s own analysis that benefited from specializing in acquiring information along certain lines --- in particular newspapers and sports --- and using it freely to impress others.

Concluding the column, Lynch wrote:

“Bernard Mainwaring gave me the opportunity to do what I most wanted to do, selected me to push from among the scores of men who had worked for him. Just why I do not know. Now he has sold Mrs. Lynch and I his interest in the Argus-Observer much sooner than I had hoped, and under unexpected circumstances that hold promise for both of us former partners. I shall always be immeasurably grateful to him and shall continue to seek his counsel in times of need.”