Tony Newhall, a former associate publisher of the San Francisco Chronicle and a member of a prominent California family, died on September 25 in Newhall, California. He was 85. Newhall’s great-great-grandfather, Henry Mayo Newhall, founded the town of Newhall in Los Angeles County in 1896 after accumulating wealth during the California gold rush.
Raised in Berkeley, California, Tony was the son of Scott Newhall, an influential executive editor of the San Francisco Chronicle noted for his inventive circulation campaigns in the mid-20th century. Unlike his father, known for provocative newspaper stunts, Tony Newhall pursued a more reserved role in the newspaper industry, choosing the business side over editorial. He began his career as circulation manager of the Newhall Signal, the family-owned newspaper in a small community near Santa Clarita, before eventually joining the San Francisco Chronicle in the late 1980s.
At the Chronicle, Newhall rose to associate publisher, where he was responsible for managing relations with the newspaper guild. Despite the typically adversarial nature of union negotiations, sources described Newhall as approaching his role with patience and a conciliatory style, influenced in part by his earlier service with the Peace Corps in Peru. His rapport with union leaders and newsroom employees was marked by warmth and mutual respect. He was known for playing chess with reporters and supported Chronicle-sponsored chess events.
Newhall’s career also included leadership roles within the wider newspaper community. He served on the board of the California Newspaper Publishers Association and was elected its president in 1986. He received the California Press Association’s Top Achievement Award in 2000. He left the Chronicle in the late 1990s, shortly before the sale of the family’s newspaper and broadcast holdings.
Outside of journalism, Newhall had a long-standing involvement in local charities and community organizations in the Santa Clarita Valley. He was notably active with the Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Foundation, the Boys & Girls Club, the United Way, and the local historical society. He launched an annual auction benefiting the Boys & Girls Club that became a major community event. He was recognized as Boys & Girls Club Man of the Year twice, in 1972 and 1980, and was named Santa Clarita Valley Man of the Year in 1985.
Newhall also pursued a personal passion as a ballroom dance instructor. Starting with lessons in the 1970s, he became an instructor and later taught dance on cruise ships sailing between Los Angeles, Alaska, and Mexico. He and his wife, Reena Newhall, whom he married in 1982, operated a local dance studio and a dancewear retail business in Santa Clarita.
After suffering a fall and later battling dementia, Newhall moved to assisted living. He is survived by his wife of 44 years and their children. Colleagues and friends recall him as a courteous and capable executive who combined professional competence with a genuine kindness and devotion to both the newspaper industry and his community.