With a vibrant and respected history, U- T San Diego is a well-established publishing institution in San Diego. In 1868, Col. William Jeff Gatewood, publisher of the San Andreas newspaper The Register, was urged to explore San Diego publishing territory by his brother-in-law Philip Crosthwaite. Crosthwaite, a pioneer, was eager to advance his new hometown’s status and acclaim post-war and felt a newspaper would give San Diego a needed boost. After visiting the city, Gatewood quickly suspended The Register and partnered with foreman Edward W. Bushyhead and select Register employees to publish The San Diego Union. The first issue was released on October 10, 1868. On December 2, 1895, a second local paper called The Evening Tribune made its debut.

In January 1928, Ira C. Copley, a prominent newspaper publisher in Illinois, purchased both The Union and The Evening Tribune. Over the years, both publications received numerous accolades, including Pulitzer Prizes for The Tribune in 1979 and 1987. In 1992, the two papers merged to become The San Diego Union-Tribune. The Union-Tribune received a branding revamp in 2010, which entailed a name change to The San Diego U-T and “U-T” logo lettering paying tribute to the traditional logo’s Old English flag. On November 17, 2011, Papa Doug purchased the paper and has since implemented modern branding changes and developments to set the publication up for a successful future. Papa Doug renamed the paper U-T San Diego, moved to create an increasingly digital-friendly business, and instituted a brand new logo. A clean, bold Old English U-T San Diego logo maintains the paper’s classic roots while creating a decidedly modern statement perfect for U-T San Diego’s forward-thinking outlook (www.utsandiego.com, 2011), (Thorpe, www.sandiegohistory.org, 1982).