Jacobs dies at age 91

Charles R. Jacobs, whose family has owned and published the Daily Leader newspaper in Brookhaven since 1958, has died at the age of 91.

Jacobs bought the Leader Times in 1958, later merging it with another weekly newspaper in Brookhaven and changed the name to the Leader-Advertiser. In 1968, he converted the twice-weekly newspaper into a five-day daily under the name The Daily Leader. Among Mississippi’s oldest newspapers, The Daily Leader celebrated its 127th year of publication Feb. 23. The newspaper is now run by his son, Bill Jacobs.

The elder Jacobs owned newspapers in New Hampshire and Ohio before moving to Mississippi. He was active in the New Hampshire Press Association, the Ohio Press Association, the Mississippi Press Association, the National Press Association and the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association.

Jacobs also participated in many local economic development project efforts that included the Wal-Mart Distribution Center, Packard Electric (now Delphi), the Brookhaven Housing Authority and many other projects.

Survivors include his wife, Pat, three sons and two granddaughters.