calsfoundation@cals.org
September 3, 1885
John Rogers Eakin, who used the spelling “Jno” for his name, died in Marshfield, Missouri, while visiting a daughter there. Eakin’s agricultural experiments with grape growing and his forward-looking jurisprudence exemplified traits of the Southern aristocratic elite. He championed women’s rights, which put him ahead of many contemporaries in thinking. His publication of the Washington Telegraph throughout the Civil War made it the only newspaper in the state to publish continuously, leaving an invaluable written legacy.