Nicholas Penniman

Nicholas G. Penniman IV, 88, a newspaper publisher, author, and conservationist died Sept. 29, 2026.

He served in the U.S. Army and earned his bachelor’s degree in religion from Princeton University. After retiring, he earned a master’s in American Studies from Washington University.

Penniman spent nearly four decades in the newspaper business, starting at the Illinois State Journal-Register in Springfield before joining the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in 1975. He became the Post-Dispatch's publisher in 1986 — the first non-Pulitzer-family member to do so — and served in that role for 13 years.

Among his other accomplishments was authoring five books, several of which focused on climate-related topics, particularly in Florida, and another which examined the influence of campaign financing in local elections.

He believed that people deserved reliable information about the world around them, and that the beauty and richness of the natural world were worth defending. He also donated his time to more than 30 non-profit boards.

In addition to his wife, Linda, he is survived by two children, Rebecca and Nick; five grandchildren; and many more family and friends.