Swift Lathers
Inducted 1986
publisher, Mears Newz
Swift Lathers (1889-1970) was “editor and bottle washer” of the Mears Newz which called itself “The Smallest Newspaper in the World.” In its four pages — five by seven inches in size — Lathers would write poetry, social notes, news, editorials and advertisements end-to-end in one large paragraph. Defending the rights of migrant workers or attacking proposed school tax increases with vigor earned Lathers recognition as “a fighter for freedom, champion of independence and ally of the underdog,” said The Grand Rapids Press. Defending his own libel suits and his physical well-being from irate readers — he boasted a smile missing teeth lost in one fist fight — he was one of the last of the one-man newspaper staffs in Michigan.