Hank Greenspun

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Herman "Hank" Milton Greenspun (August 27, 1909 - July 23, 1989) was the longtime, and often controversial, publisher of the Las Vegas Sun newspaper. He purchased the Sun in 1949, and served as its editor and publisher until his death.

In 1947, when the Haganah were fighting to establish the nation of Israel, Greenspun shipped machine guns and airplane parts to the guerillas. This was a violation of the Neutrality Acts, a crime for which Greenspun was arrested and ultimately convicted on July 10, 1950. He was fined $10,000 but received no prison time. Oct. 18, 1961, President John F. Kennedy pardoned Greenspun of his conviction[1]. Upon Greenspun's death in 1989, former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres called Greenspun "a hero of our country and a fighter for freedom."

Greenspun began an angry feud with Senator Joseph McCarthy in 1952, publishing several articles attacking him as a demagogue. He also wrote articles accusing McCarthy of being a homosexual, an act that brought Greenspun considerable criticism, even among McCarthy foes.

Upon his death, the Greenspun family entered the Sun into a joint operating agreement with the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The Sun operated as an afternoon daily from 1990 on. Beginning in October 2005, the paper is now included as a section inside the morning Review-Journal.

Greenspun formed The Greenspun Corporation to manage the family's assets.

Greenspun also was involved in real estate, acquiring much of the western portion of Henderson, Nevada for a development that would eventually become Green Valley.

Greenpsun also started the first TV station in Nevada, KLAS-TV