Former newspaper publisher H. Ben Langdon died in his sleep at his Shawnee home Tuesday. He was 85.

Mr. Langdon was born June 16, 1913, in Sunnyvale, California to the Rev. and Mrs. Oliver H. Langdon.

As the son of a Methodist minister, his youth was spent in San Francisco and Berkeley. His college education included San Jose State, Oklahoma City University and the University of Oklahoma.

He was married June 14, 1940, to Betty Nance of Purcell, Oklahoma.

Langdon and his wife published the Mangum Star for thirty three years. Langdon's newspaper career was interrupted by three years of active duty in the U. S. Army during World War II. He maintained a continuous membership in the Mangum American Legion for 50 years.

He was an active member of the Oklahoma Press Association and served that organization as president in 1970-71.

He had a second career in state government, serving under three Oklahoma governors. He served as director of the Oklahoma Industrial Development Department, director for Oklahoma Excess Property and for eight years was a senior staff member for former Gov. George Nigh.

In 1995, Langdon and Betty, his wife of fifty eight years, moved to Shawnee to be near their daughter and son-in-law, Nance and Jeff Diamond. Their son, H. Benj Langdon Jr., lives with his wife, Rebecca, and sons Koe and Dylan in Big Sur, California.

Langdon also is survived by a brother and sister-in-law, Francis and Gloria Langdon of Tonkawa, Oklahoma; a sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Rosamond and Maxwell McCurdy of Purcell; a granddaughter, Laura Langdon of Sausalito, California; four grandsons, Jeffrey Diamond and his wife, Carol, of Shawnee; Jay Diamond of Norman; and Koe and Dylan Langdon of Big Sur, California; one great-grandson, Jack Diamond of Shawnee; and many nieces and nephews including Mary Beth Nance, who lived with the Langdon family during her high school years.

Memorial services will be held 10:30 a.m. Saturday in Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 501 N. Broadway, Shawnee.

Memorials may be made to Hospice of Shawnee, 1102 W. MacArthur, Shawnee, Oklahoma 74801.