Graham W. Dennis took over as publisher of the newspaper in 1954, at age 26, after the death of his father, senator William Henry Dennis, who in turn had succeeded senator William Dennis in running the paper. He led the newspaper for the next half century. Dennis was proud of the paper's independence and rebuffed numerous offers to buy it. He was known as a humanistic employer interested in the welfare of his employees, stating that his proudest moment was the introduction of a pension plan for "Herald" staff. He had a reputation as an "old-school media baron" who set up bureaus across Canada and even one in London, England. Dennis considered the paper essential to effecting positive change in Nova Scotia and ensured that it was available across the province.