THE DEATH has taken place of Major Thomas Bleakley McDowell, who was chief executive and chairman of The Irish Timesfor almost 40 years.
He was at the helm of the organisation during the biggest expansion in its history and oversaw its transformation from a commercial company into a trust that guaranteed its independence and protected it from takeover.
Maj McDowell, who died unexpectedly yesterday in his 87th year, became chief executive of The Irish Times Ltd in 1962 and worked with four editors before he stepped down as chairman of the trust in 2001.
Born in Belfast in 1923 and educated in the Royal Belfast Academical Institution and Queen’s University, Maj McDowell joined the British army in 1942 and became a regular officer in the Royal Ulster Rifles in 1946.
After the second World War, while still in the army, he returned to Queen’s and received an LLB before being called to the bar in London in 1951.
After a period in the army’s law department, he retired in 1955 to join an industrial company, James North Ltd, as its legal adviser in London. Seeking experience of the company’s activities, he came to Dublin temporarily to run its Irish operation but stayed on to become involved in the city’s business life. By 1962, he had become chief executive of The Irish Times Ltd.
In the early 1970s, with newspaper takeovers in the air, Maj McDowell was responsible for the newspaper passing from private ownership to control by The Irish Times Trust, which would protect the newspaper’s independence, prevent it from being bought out and provide a framework for its editorial policy.
He drew up the terms of the Irish Times Trust himself after seeking the advice of a range of similar newspapers, including the Guardianand the New York Times.
Maj McDowell's leadership of the company was most associated with the editorship of Douglas Gageby, to whom he attributed the editorial and circulation success of The Irish Times. He was also chief executive during the editorships of Alan Montgomery, Fergus Pyle and Conor Brady, with whom he worked successfully for 15 years.
Widely known as “The Major”, he kept clear of involvement in editorial content, insisting that that was the domain of the editor.
During his years at the helm, the newspaper’s circulation rose from under 35,000 to 105,312 and the company’s financial position from a loss of £20,000 to a profit of £9.3 million. He retired in 1997 as chief executive and proposed Louis O’Neill as his successor.
He stepped down as chairman of The Irish Timesin 1999 and as a director of the company in 2001.
In recognition of his contribution, Maj McDowell was awarded the title honorary president for life.
Speaking at the unveiling of a portrait of Maj McDowell at The Irish Timesoffices in Dublin last year, chairman of the trust Prof David McConnell said the newspaper would not exist today in any recognisable form, if it existed at all, were it not for Maj McDowell's contribution. At the same event, Maj McDowell said he had had two loves in his life: "One was my wife and family, the other was The Irish Times".
Maj McDowell, whose wife Margaret predeceased him, is survived by daughters Penelope and Karen, grandchildren Rupert, Antonia, Myles, Jeremy and Charles and sons-in-law Tim and John.
The funeral will take place in Whitechurch Parish Church, Rathfarnham tomorrow at 11.30am, followed by burial in the adjoining churchyard.
