African-American newspapers flourished in the major cities, with publishers playing a major role in politics and business affairs. Representative leaders included Robert Sengstacke Abbott (1870–1940) and John H. Sengstacke (1912–1997) publishers of the "Chicago Defender"; John Mitchell Jr. (1863–1929), editor of the "Richmond Planet" and president of the National Afro-American Press Association; Anthony Overton (1865–1946), publisher of the "Chicago Bee", Garth C. Reeves Sr. (1919-2019), Publisher Emeritus of the "Miami Times" and Robert Lee Vann (1879–1940), the publisher and editor of the "Pittsburgh Courier". In the 1940s the number of newspapers grew from 150 to 250.