Quick Facts
Biography
William Miskey Singerly (December 27, 1832 - February 27, 1898) was a Philadelphia businessman and newspaper publisher.
Singerly was born in Philadelphia in 1832. His father Joseph Singerly was instrumental in the creation of the city's street car system. Singerly graduated from high school in 1850 and worked in a produce commission house. He then worked with his father in the street car business and spent some time in that field in Chicago.
Singerly purchased the small The Philadelphia Record newspaper in 1877 with a circulation of about 5,000 daily, and transformed it into a large circulation one-cent daily. By 1894, it had a circulation over 160,000.
He was also involved in real estate development, overseeing the building of over 1,000 new homes.
A staunch Democrat, he ran for Pennsylvania governor in 1894 but was defeated by Daniel H. Hastings.
After suffering significant financial difficulties including the failure of the Chestnut Street National Bank (of which he was president) in December 1897, Singerly died in February 1898. He was buried in Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia.