Obituaries VIII – Notable Newspaper Editors

Immigrants who come to the British colonies in America arrive with a tradition of, and firm commitment to, both literacy and newspapers.

In 1704, the first continuously published newspaper starts up in Massachusetts, a weekly, The Boston News Letter, which runs up to 1776.

By the 1830’s America boasts some 900 papers, twice the count in Britain.

From there, a further boom triples that number as the U.S. population expands westward and new towns and cities seek their own local news.

Growth in Newspapers in America

Growth in Number of Newspapers in America

Growth is also supported by the 1843 arrival of a steam-powered rotary printing press, invented by the American, Richard M. Hoe.

As of 1850, it is estimated that some 500 million copies are “in circulation” across the country. Only 15% of these are “dailies,” with the rest going out once a week.

The size of these papers range from 4 to 8 pages, each measuring 8×11”, and priced from 1 cent (“penny papers”) to 6 cents.

Typical front pages show that readers are not only interested in hard news, but also in advertisements for goods and services. For example:

From the beginning many newspapers become mouthpieces for political parties, who in turn support their revenue by placement of required legal notices.

Political ties also explain the initial epicenters for high circulation newspapers in Washington, DC and New York City.

Kingmaker Francis Preston Blair Sr. launches the Washington Globe in 1830 to promote Andrew Jackson and the Democrat Party. (Ironically he later becomes a founder of the Republican Party after opposing the 1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act.)

But it is in New York City where four famous editors vie for supremacy against some 88 competitors, with each carving out their own unique content niches.

Major New York City Daily Newspapers

Major New York City Daily Newspapers

Several papers gain traction by 1850 in the South, notably The Charleston Mercury, Louisville Journal, and the New Orleans Picayune which prices itself at “one picayune” or 6 and 1/4^th cent in local Spanish coin.

As the national debate over slavery grows more intense, papers dedicated to abolition spring up. The first belongs to Quaker, Benjamin Lundy, with his Genius of Universal Emancipation in 1821. Lundy’s protégé, William Lloyd Garrison, follows with his Liberator, demanding “immediate freedom,” and publishing weekly in Boston from 1831 to 1865, despite constant lynching threats.

In 1836, the New York wing of the abolitionist movement under Gerrit Smith and James Birney introduce the Philanthropist, arguing that the only way to end slavery is through political action, not “mere lecture tours.”

Frederick Douglas also breaks away from Garrison after becoming famous in his own right, and publishes his North Star paper in 1847, followed in 1872 by his New Era. His influence extends all the way into the White House and President Lincoln.

Over time a few women editors also make their voices heard. Cornelia Walter is first in 1830 with her Boston Evening Transcript which focuses on literary and theatrical reporting while also condemning slavery.

Maryland’s Anne Royall follows with The Huntress in 1836, supporting States’ Rights and slavery in addition to attacking government corruption. Mary Shadd Cary becomes the first female African-American editor with her Canadian publication, Provincial Freedom. And the very controversial Claffin sisters offer their take in 1870 on free love, communism, suffrage and politics.

Finally, in the 1850’s, James Harper along with his three brothers, build off the prior success of The Saturday Evening Post, with their Harper’s Monthly and then Weekly magazines. They soon lead the way in reporting on the Civil War, including their clever use of woodcuts to visualize the action.

Obituaries: Notable Newspaper Editors