J.E.R. – Iowa City’s Cannon Ball Newsgatherer.

In 1901, when Jacob E. Reizenstein – a.k.a. Jake, Jakey, or J.E.R. – took over as the city editor at The Daily Iowa State Press (below right), he was well-known by most Iowa Citians. You see, Reizenstein had served as the editor of The Iowa City Daily Republican for thirteen years before leaving town in 1900 for – what turned out to be – a one-year editorial stint with The Morning Leader in Superior, Wisconsin (below left).

But in June 1901, Jakey was back in town and the ‘Cannon Ball newsgatherer’ – as The Daily Press tagged him (below left) – was raring to go. And did he ever!

But, before we get to that side of J.E.R.’s story, let’s fill you in on Jacob Reizensten’s early years here in Iowa City.

Jacob Everett Reizenstein was the second child – of four – born on June 2, 1869 to Isaac and Eva (Tannebaum) Reizensten – who came to Iowa City in 1867 – two years before Jacob’s birth. Jake’s father – a Jewish immigrant – was born in Bavaria in 1826, and became a highly-respected citizen of our community (see details below left from Isaac’s 1909 obituary), working as a tobacconist (cigars) with accounts in Council Bluffs, Minneapolis, New York City, and Chicago, and serving as one of Iowa City’s lamp-lighters in the 1870’s and ’80s!

Jake’s mother -Eva – died in 1869 – most likely from complications in childbirth, while Isaac lived to the ripe old age of 82, passing away in 1909. Both are buried at Rosehill Cemetery & Mausoleum in Chicago.

In 1880 – at age 11 – Jake Reizenstein began delivering papers for The Iowa City Republican – a job that soon led to, first – an internship as a reporter, and in 1887, after graduating from Williams Commercial College and SUI – the role of city editor, which he held for thirteen years. Iowa City historian – Irving Weber – tells us more (below left) about Jakey’s high school accomplishments – graduating at age 15 in 1884 (not 1883), and his amazing vision for the future…

Apparently, Jakey took his smarts with him to the office, and was well known around town for both his intellectual prowess and his strong dedication to doing a job well (see above right). So, that’s why The Daily Press was so excited when Jacob E. – the cannon ball newsgatherer – decided to return to Iowa City in 1901 – taking a job in the news business that would continue right up until the end of his life (1961).

On November 23, 1904 – three years into his new job at The Daily Press – Jacob E. married Eloise Rowlen. According to the front page article (see above left & center) that appeared later that week in The Press, the wedding came as a complete surprise to Jake’s friends! And from what Irving Weber reports (above right), Jake & Eloise enjoyed their married life together, sharing nearly 50 years as a couple before Eloise passed in 1953.

In the early 1920’s, Jacob E. Reizenstein’s newspaper – **The Iowa City Daily Press** merged with **The** **Iowa City Citizen** – becoming **The Iowa City Press-Citizen**, and it was during this time when J.E.R. became a contributing editor to the newly-formed paper. Read more about Iowa City newspapers here.

Beginning in the mid-1920’s – and continuing on, right up until his death (1961) – Jacob E. Reizensten – under the simple pen name of J.E.R. – published two different series of newspaper articles here in Iowa City. The first – Twenty Years Ago Today In Iowa City – allowed readers to take a trip back in time – two decades, in fact – as J.E.R. told a variety of stories from our city’s past. According to our search through the records, Twenty Years first appeared in The Iowa City Press-Citizen in 1924 (see below).

Jake’s second, highly-popular series was A Fact A Day About Iowa City. These articles – which ran in The Iowa City Press-Citizen from 1928 – well into the 1950’s – were packed with informative stories from Johnson County history. In many ways, these J.E.R. columns served as the precursor to the popularity of Iowa City’s best-known historian – Irving Weber – whose numerous historical accounts were similarly published in the Press-Citizen in the 1970’s, ’80’s & ’90’s.

In addition to his local newspaper work for The Press-Citizen, Jacob Reizenstein also served for thirty-five years as Iowa City’s correspondent to the Associated Press and other national press associations, working with 50+ city newspapers from across the nation!

As we mentioned earlier, Jake’s loving wife, Eloise, died in 1953, at age 76, while Jake lived on to the ripe old age of 92. Above are articles in The Iowa City Press-Citizen from 1959 (J.E.R.’s 90th birthday celebration) and 1961 (his obituary). Jacob E. Reizenstein died on September 6, 1961, and is buried with his wife and parents in Rosehill Cemetery & Mausoleum in Chicago. In a salute to his mentor, Irving Weber wrote these kind words about Jakey and Eloise in 1990…

In truth, the name of Jacob E. Reizenstein belongs among the elite of Iowa City historians, yet sadly, because none of his material was ever published beyond the scope of his newspaper articles, he is rarely quoted, much less remembered. Above right is a copy of an article written in 2007 by Lolly Parker Eggers – long-time Director of the Iowa City Public Library. In it, Eggers pays tribute to J.E.R., the great value of his 35+ years of writings, and suggests…

Someone needs to collect (J.E.R.’s) stories, search the record, and provide Iowa Citians with the complete life of Jacob Everett Reizenstein, a unique Iowa City journalist and historian.

It’s our hope that this post on the life of Jakey Reizenstein – Iowa City’s cannon ball newsgatherer – will, minimally, get the project that Eggers suggested under way!

Check out our list of Johnson County Historical Resources and our Iowa Historian Hall of Fame.

On July 1, 1976, The Iowa City Press-Citizen published a special 76-page Bicentennial edition. In that edition there were articles and pictures related to stories found on this page. You can read more here.