Horace Greeley (3 February, 1811 – 29 November, 1872) was a newspaper editor and columnist. He was a very influential figure in publishing during his lifetime and launched the New York Tribune.
Greeley was born on a farm a few miles from Amherst, NH. Zaccheus and Mary Greeley, his parents, were farmers.
In 1820, the family moved to Vermont for financial reasons. The move agreed with the bookish boy who found out that his new neighbors had a library.
Around the age of 16, Horace Greeley became a printer’s apprentice and editor of the Northern Spector, East Poultney’s newspaper. Doing this job allowed the young bibliophile to learn all about printing. At the same time, he was known as the town’s encyclopedia due to his prolific reading.
When the paper went out of business, Mr. Greeley was found in Pennsylvania working for the Erie Gazette. Afterward, he arrived in New York City to work for the Spirit of the Times.
In March, 1834 he published the first issue of the literary newspaper The New Yorker together with his partner Jonas Winchester. The New Yorker closed in 1837 due to the economic recession and poor management, but at its height, it reached a circulation of 9,000.
Later on, in 1841, another, more ambitious venture into the newspaper business got Greeley to found the New York Tribune which he edited until his death.
The Tribune set a high standard for news gathering and morals. It was dedicated to reforms, economic progress, abolitionism, women’s rights, and more. One of his European correspondents were Karl Marx and Friedrich Engles.
In 1863, during the Draft Riot, the mob went to attack The New York Times. However, the building was protected by its owner and editor, Henry Raymond, wielding a Gatling gun. Instead, the mob attacked Greely’s New York Tribune.
Horace Greeley became disillusioned with the Whig Party when during the American Civil War, and placed his fortunes with the new Republican Party.
Disillusioned with the Republican Party as well, Horace Greeley and others formed the Liberal Republican Party and nominated Greeley to run for President against U.S. Grant. The brutal campaign left its mark on Greeley, who was institutionalized, and sadly died before the electoral votes were counted. His 66 electoral votes were pledged to four candidates, Grant got 3 and the other 63 went to three minor candidates. To this day, Horace Greeley is the only presidential candidate not to get any electoral votes.
Horace Greeley (3 February, 1811 – 29 November, 1872) was a newspaper editor and columnist. He was a very influential figure in publishing during his lifetime and launched the New York Tribune.
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Man of la Book
A father, husband, avid reader, blogger, software engineer & wood worker who is known the world over as a man of many interests and to his wife as “an idiot”.