| Show THE UTAH NEWSPAPER HALL OF FAME The Ensign was sold by its partners on January 14 1891 and for the record met its demise under the new ownership in the fall of 1892 Wallis meanwhile had purchased the Utah Valley Gazette in Provo and when he began publication on January 13 1891 changed the name of the beleaguered daily to the Provo Dispatch He and silent partner sold the paper in 1892 and on May 3rd of that year Wallis became editor of the Ogden Post It failed early in 1893 another victim of the city which was widely known as the graveyard of Western journalism While publishing the Nephi Ensign in 1890 he was elected prosecuting attorney of Juab County and subsequently decided to study law Wallis enrolled at the University of Nebraska in 1896 then transferred to the University of Tennessee at Knoxville where he achievedlaw degree For eight years he was United States Commissioner of the District of Idaho and for three terms served as chief clerk of the Idaho Legislature In the latter role he was instrumental in securing passage ofbill urgently needed aslegal framework for the position of Idahonewspapers Mr Wallis hobby was music both vocal and instrumen tal He formed and conducted choirs and bands in almost every community in which he lived An active LDS Church member throughout his adult life he filled numerous positions on the ward and stake level and used his journalistic talents to edit mission publications in Chattanooga Tennessee during 1905 06 and in Liverpool and London England from 1931 to 1933 At one time members of the Wallis family were publishing four newspapers in Utah and Idaho In addition to the Vernal Express they were the Roosevelt Standard later the Uintah Basin Standard the Wasatch Wave and the Paris Post In addition John Wallis brother of James published the Rich Roundup of Randolph the American Fork Advance and the Washington County News of St George as well as newspapers in Idaho James Wallis interrupted his varied career in 1905-06 to 637 Digital image 2005 Marriott Library University of Utah Al rights reserved |
