Chandler attended Hollywood High School, then Stanford University, where he was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity (Sigma Rho chapter).

After the children grew up, they moved to a grand Italianate house on Lorraine Avenue in the Windsor Square neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Seeking to create a community-like work environment, Chandler was one of the first newspaper employers to offer benefits to his employees, including health insurance and pension plans, and to foster community spirit.

His wife, too, recognized the importance of community spirit, instigating great revitalization of the culture of Los Angeles.

Under Norman Chandler's leadership, Times Mirror grew with both acquisitions and internal growth, becoming the first family-owned newspaper company to go public.

[8] The company also acquired more newspapers: Newsday, The Dallas Times Herald and The Orange Coast Pilot in Costa Mesa, Calif. Chandler also brought Times-Mirror Company into broadcasting; Times Mirror was a founding owner of television station KTTV in Los Angeles, which opened in January 1949.