Lawton Constitution is a daily newspaper in Lawton, Oklahoma, USA covering local news, sports, business, jobs, and community events.

The newspaper is published seven days a week.

The Constitution was founded in 1904 from a dispute of Lawton Democrats. One faction, hoping to capture the city and county printing contracts, set up its own newspaper by purchasing the weekly Elgin Eagle and moving it to Lawton, where it was renamed the Lawton Daily Constitution under the editorship of J. Roy Williams. In 1910, Williams sold the newspaper to John Shepler, a Missouri native who had published the weekly Milan Standard in Missouri for 18 years. He sold that newspaper in 1902 when he moved to Pawnee, Okla., and purchased two weeklies, the Courier and Dispatch, and merged them into the Courier-Dispatch. He sold the Pawnee Newspaper in 1909. John Shepler died in 1919 and his two sons, Ned and Fred, became co-publishers. In 1923, the Sheplers purchased the Lawton News and changed it into a weekly newspaper. In 1933, the Lawton Free Press was founded by Homer Hedges, and he changed the newspaper into a daily, the Lawton Morning Press. Charles E. Marsh purchased the Morning Press in 1948, and a brief newspaper war between the two dailies followed. A year later, financial problems caused Marsh to offer the newspaper for sale, and Ned Shepler purchased the Morning Press in 1949. The Morning Press continued publication until January 1989, when it became the morning edition of The Lawton Constitution. The morning and afternoon editions of the Constitution were consolidated into one morning product in 1992. Throughout its history, the Constitution has been a family tradition. Ned Shepler became sole publisher in 1942 after the death of his brother, Fred, and continued as publisher until 1967. Ned Shepler's daughter, Shirley, married the late Bill F. Bentley, who served as editor-publisher from 1967 to 1989. The Bentleys' two sons, Steve Bentley and Don Bentley, now serve as co-publishers.

Circulation: 20,575 copies

This newspaper is owned by Don Bentley and Stephen Bentley.

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Contact Information

David Hale is the managing editor of the Lawton Constitution.

 Mailing address: 102 SW 3rd St., Lawton, OK 73501

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