Hank Greenspun
Encyclopedia
Herman "Hank" Milton Greenspun (August 27, 1909 - July 23, 1989) was the longtime, and often controversial, publisher of the Las Vegas Sun
newspaper. He purchased the Sun in 1949, and served as its editor and publisher until his death. Greenspun was also a prominent real estate
developer in the Las Vegas metropolitan area
.
, while stationed in Northern Ireland
, Greenspun met his wife, Barbara, at a dinner party hosted by Maureen Black (née Peres) daughter of Harold Peres of Solomon and Peres
and wife of British Businessman, Roy Keith Black
. As a young man, Greenspun became closely involved with Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel
and the work he was doing to reopen his Flamingo
casino. Greenspun worked as the Flamingos's publicity agent. Following the murder of Siegel in Los Angeles
in 1947, Greenspun renewed his interest in his Jewish heritage and became a prominent figure in supporting the struggle to establish the State of Israel
.
was already in armed conflict with Arab forces, Greenspun shipped machine guns and airplane parts to that organization (which later became the core of the Israel Defense Forces). This was a violation of the U.S. Neutrality Acts, a crime for which Greenspun was arrested and ultimately convicted on July 10, 1950. He was fined $10,000 but received no prison time. On October 18, 1961, President John F. Kennedy
granted Greenspun a pardon. Upon Greenspun's death in 1989, former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres
called Greenspun "a hero of our country and a fighter for freedom."
in 1952, publishing several articles attacking him as a demagogue. He also wrote articles accusing McCarthy of being a homosexual, an act that brought Greenspun considerable criticism, even among McCarthy foes. Greenspun became further entrenched in domestic politics when allegations were made that he held blackmail information against prominent Democratic presidential nominees.
, James W. McCord, Jr.
, Eugenio Martínez
and Frank Sturgis
were arrested while placing electronic devices in the Democratic Party
campaign offices in an apartment block called Watergate, in Washington, D.C.
It later emerged that people working for President Richard Nixon
wanted to wiretap the conversations of Larry O'Brien
, chairman of the Democratic National Committee
. The Watergate Scandal
developed from this incident, leading to wide-ranging investigations, Congressional hearings, and enormous media coverage for the next two years.
On May 23, 1973, McCord admitted that this group (known as the "Plumbers") had been involved in several covert activities. This included a plot to steal documents from Hank Greenspun's safe. McCord testified that Attorney General John N. Mitchell
had told him that Greenspun had in his possession blackmail
type information, involving a Democratic candidate for President. As Greenspun was an avowed Republican, it was assumed that Greenspun would use his political influence and connections to sway the election.
. The Sun operated as an afternoon daily from 1990 on. Beginning in October 2005, under an amended joint operating agreement, the paper began delivery with the morning Review-Journal.
Greenspun formed The Greenspun Corporation
to manage the family's assets.
Greenspun was also heavily involved in real estate, acquiring most of the western portion of Henderson, Nevada
for a development that would eventually become Green Valley
. Much of the original seed money for this real estate investment was acquired through a loan from the Teamsters
Union. His family still controls the majority of this land and the associated real estate developments, including golf courses and the Green Valley Ranch, Resort and Spa with interest being held through The Greenspun Corporation
. There is a school located in Henderson, Nevada dedicated to Hank and Barbara Greenspun.
Greenpsun also started the first TV station in Nevada, KLAS-TV
.
In 2008 SgpMedia produced the feature documentary
about the life and times of Hank Greenspun, narrated by Anthony Hopkins
.
Las Vegas Sun
The Las Vegas Sun is a Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper. It is one of Las Vegas, Nevada's two daily newspapers. It is owned by the Greenspun family and is affiliated with Greenspun Media Group....
newspaper. He purchased the Sun in 1949, and served as its editor and publisher until his death. Greenspun was also a prominent real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
developer in the Las Vegas metropolitan area
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
.
Early years
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, while stationed in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, Greenspun met his wife, Barbara, at a dinner party hosted by Maureen Black (née Peres) daughter of Harold Peres of Solomon and Peres
Solomon and Peres
Solomon and Peres was a music and entertainment retailer, distributor and music production house based in Belfast, Northern Ireland and Ireland from 1924–1981, before becoming acquired by Decca Records. It was owned and operated by brothers-in-law Harold Peres and Morris Solomon who ran the...
and wife of British Businessman, Roy Keith Black
Roy Keith Black
Roy Black was a British-born businessman, best known for owning and operating, Electronic Rentals Group, a UK public company during the 1960s in Dublin, Ireland specializing in television rentals. By 1970, ERG was the world's second largest Electronic Rental Company in the world with operations in...
. As a young man, Greenspun became closely involved with Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel
Bugsy Siegel
Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel was an American gangster who was involved with the Genovese crime family...
and the work he was doing to reopen his Flamingo
Flamingo Las Vegas
The Flamingo Las Vegas is a hotel casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada and is owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment Corp.. The property offers a casino along with 3,626 hotel rooms...
casino. Greenspun worked as the Flamingos's publicity agent. Following the murder of Siegel in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in 1947, Greenspun renewed his interest in his Jewish heritage and became a prominent figure in supporting the struggle to establish the State of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
.
Supplies arms to foreign power
In 1947, when the HaganahHaganah
Haganah was a Jewish paramilitary organization in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine from 1920 to 1948, which later became the core of the Israel Defense Forces.- Origins :...
was already in armed conflict with Arab forces, Greenspun shipped machine guns and airplane parts to that organization (which later became the core of the Israel Defense Forces). This was a violation of the U.S. Neutrality Acts, a crime for which Greenspun was arrested and ultimately convicted on July 10, 1950. He was fined $10,000 but received no prison time. On October 18, 1961, President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
granted Greenspun a pardon. Upon Greenspun's death in 1989, former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres
Shimon Peres
GCMG is the ninth President of the State of Israel. Peres served twice as the eighth Prime Minister of Israel and once as Interim Prime Minister, and has been a member of 12 cabinets in a political career spanning over 66 years...
called Greenspun "a hero of our country and a fighter for freedom."
Feuds with Joe McCarthy
Greenspun began an angry feud with Republican Senator Joseph McCarthyJoseph McCarthy
Joseph Raymond "Joe" McCarthy was an American politician who served as a Republican U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957...
in 1952, publishing several articles attacking him as a demagogue. He also wrote articles accusing McCarthy of being a homosexual, an act that brought Greenspun considerable criticism, even among McCarthy foes. Greenspun became further entrenched in domestic politics when allegations were made that he held blackmail information against prominent Democratic presidential nominees.
Tied to Watergate scandal
On June 17, 1972, Virgilio González, Bernard BarkerBernard Barker
Bernard Leon Barker , known as "Macho" or by his mother's maiden name, "Terry", was a Watergate burglar, and burglar of Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist's office....
, James W. McCord, Jr.
James W. McCord, Jr.
James Walter McCord, Jr. is a former CIA agent, later involved, as an electronics expert, in the Watergate burglaries .-Career:...
, Eugenio Martínez
Eugenio Martínez
Eugenio Rolando Martinez was a member of the anti-Castro movement in the early 1960s, and later was one of the five men recruited by G. Gordon Liddy and E. Howard Hunt in 1972 for the Memorial Day weekend Watergate first break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C...
and Frank Sturgis
Frank Sturgis
Frank Anthony Sturgis , born Frank Angelo Fiorini, was one of the Watergate burglars.-Early Life and Military Service:...
were arrested while placing electronic devices in the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
campaign offices in an apartment block called Watergate, in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
It later emerged that people working for President Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
wanted to wiretap the conversations of Larry O'Brien
Larry O'Brien
Lawrence Francis "Larry" O'Brien, Jr. was one of the United States Democratic Party's leading electoral strategists when, for more than two decades, he helped reshape American politics...
, chairman of the Democratic National Committee
Democratic National Committee
The Democratic National Committee is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day to day basis. While it is responsible for overseeing the process of writing a platform every four years, the DNC's central focus is on campaign and political activity in support...
. The Watergate Scandal
Watergate scandal
The Watergate scandal was a political scandal during the 1970s in the United States resulting from the break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., and the Nixon administration's attempted cover-up of its involvement...
developed from this incident, leading to wide-ranging investigations, Congressional hearings, and enormous media coverage for the next two years.
On May 23, 1973, McCord admitted that this group (known as the "Plumbers") had been involved in several covert activities. This included a plot to steal documents from Hank Greenspun's safe. McCord testified that Attorney General John N. Mitchell
John N. Mitchell
John Newton Mitchell was the Attorney General of the United States from 1969 to 1972 under President Richard Nixon...
had told him that Greenspun had in his possession blackmail
Blackmail
In common usage, blackmail is a crime involving threats to reveal substantially true or false information about a person to the public, a family member, or associates unless a demand is met. It may be defined as coercion involving threats of physical harm, threat of criminal prosecution, or threats...
type information, involving a Democratic candidate for President. As Greenspun was an avowed Republican, it was assumed that Greenspun would use his political influence and connections to sway the election.
Business dealings
Upon his death, the Greenspun family entered the Sun into a joint operating agreement with the Las Vegas Review-JournalLas Vegas Review-Journal
The Las Vegas Review-Journal is published in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. It is the largest circulating daily newspaper in Nevada, and one of two daily newspapers in Las Vegas . It is the flagship publication of Stephens Media LLC...
. The Sun operated as an afternoon daily from 1990 on. Beginning in October 2005, under an amended joint operating agreement, the paper began delivery with the morning Review-Journal.
Greenspun formed The Greenspun Corporation
The Greenspun Corporation
The Greenspun Corporation is a privately owned corporation that manages the Greenspun family assets. The company was founded by Hank Greenspun and is based in Henderson, Nevada.- Subsidiaries :* American Nevada Corporation- Land development...
to manage the family's assets.
Greenspun was also heavily involved in real estate, acquiring most of the western portion of Henderson, Nevada
Henderson, Nevada
-Demographics:According to the 2000 census, there were 175,381 people, 66,331 households, and 47,095 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,200.8 people per square mile . There were 71,149 housing units at an average density of 892.8 per square mile...
for a development that would eventually become Green Valley
Green Valley, Henderson
Green Valley is a neighborhood of Henderson, Nevada. The Green Valley Master Community development was founded in 1978 by American Nevada Corporation in an area of on the southeast part of the Las Vegas Valley...
. Much of the original seed money for this real estate investment was acquired through a loan from the Teamsters
Teamsters
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is a labor union in the United States and Canada. Formed in 1903 by the merger of several local and regional locals of teamsters, the union now represents a diverse membership of blue-collar and professional workers in both the public and private sectors....
Union. His family still controls the majority of this land and the associated real estate developments, including golf courses and the Green Valley Ranch, Resort and Spa with interest being held through The Greenspun Corporation
The Greenspun Corporation
The Greenspun Corporation is a privately owned corporation that manages the Greenspun family assets. The company was founded by Hank Greenspun and is based in Henderson, Nevada.- Subsidiaries :* American Nevada Corporation- Land development...
. There is a school located in Henderson, Nevada dedicated to Hank and Barbara Greenspun.
Greenpsun also started the first TV station in Nevada, KLAS-TV
KLAS-TV
KLAS-TV, virtual channel 8 , is the CBS-affiliated television station serving the Las Vegas, Nevada market; it is owned and operated by Landmark Media Enterprises...
.
In 2008 SgpMedia produced the feature documentary
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
about the life and times of Hank Greenspun, narrated by Anthony Hopkins
Anthony Hopkins
Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins, KBE , best known as Anthony Hopkins, is a Welsh actor of film, stage and television...
.