Benjamin Perley Poore
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Perley Poore was a prominent American newspaper correspondent, editor, and author in the mid-19th century. One of the most popular and prolific journalists of his era, he was an active partisan for the Whig
and Republican
parties.
to parents Benjamin and Mary Perley (Dodge) Poore on the family estate, Indian Hill Farm. His father's family were long-time residents of the area; his mother had been born in 1799 in Georgetown, a small incorporated community in the newly defined District of Columbia.
When Poore was seven, his parents took him to Washington, D.C.
for the first time, during the administration of another man from Massachusetts
, President John Quincy Adams
. About this time, he enrolled in Governor Dummer Academy in Byfield, Massachusetts
to prepare for a West Point
appointment. When he was eleven years old he was taken by his father to England
, where saw Walter Scott
, Lafayette, and other notables. Poore was subsequently expelled from Dummer Academy for misbehavior and apprenticed himself to a printer in Worcester, Massachusetts
.
Poore's father purchased a paper in Athens, Georgia
, the Southern Whig, which Poore edited for two years. In 1841 he visited Europe again as attache of the American legation at Brussels, remaining abroad until 1848. During this period he was the foreign correspondent of the Boston Atlas. After editing the Boston Bee and Sunday Sentinel, Poore returned to the national capital in 1854 as a Washington correspondent. His colorful letters to The Boston Journal
and other newspapers over the signature of "Perley" made his national reputation.
A widely reported anecdote concerns his support for Millard Fillmore
in the election of 1856. Poore declared that he would wheel a barrel of apples from his home town of Newburyport to Boston if Fillmore failed to carry Massachusetts - a promise he fulfilled in a two-day journey, cheered on by crowds who lined his route.
In additional to his newspaper writing, Poore served as clerk of the committee of the United States Senate
on printing records, where he edited the Congressional Directory
and the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
. During the Civil War
he organized a battalion of riflemen at Newbury that formed the nucleus of a company in the 8th Massachusetts volunteers, in which Poore served as major for a short time, retaining the title of Major Poore for the rest of his life.
In 1885, Poore organized the Gridiron Club
and served as its first president. Designed as social events to bring reporters and politicians together to repair the ill-will sometimes generated by news stories, Gridiron dinners featured satirical songs and skits performed by Washington's leading journalists. The Club's annual white-tie dinners continue to attract presidents and other dignitaries, functioning much as Poore anticipated.
Poore died in Washington, D.C.
Whig Party (United States)
The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
and Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
parties.
Biography
Poore was born near Newburyport, MassachusettsNewburyport, Massachusetts
Newburyport is a small coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, 35 miles northeast of Boston. The population was 21,189 at the 2000 census. A historic seaport with a vibrant tourism industry, Newburyport includes part of Plum Island...
to parents Benjamin and Mary Perley (Dodge) Poore on the family estate, Indian Hill Farm. His father's family were long-time residents of the area; his mother had been born in 1799 in Georgetown, a small incorporated community in the newly defined District of Columbia.
When Poore was seven, his parents took him to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
for the first time, during the administration of another man from Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, President John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams was the sixth President of the United States . He served as an American diplomat, Senator, and Congressional representative. He was a member of the Federalist, Democratic-Republican, National Republican, and later Anti-Masonic and Whig parties. Adams was the son of former...
. About this time, he enrolled in Governor Dummer Academy in Byfield, Massachusetts
Byfield, Massachusetts
Byfield is a village in the town of Newbury, in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It borders West Newbury, Georgetown, and Rowley. It is located about 30 miles north-northeast of Boston, along Interstate 95, about 10 miles south of the border between New Hampshire and...
to prepare for a West Point
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
appointment. When he was eleven years old he was taken by his father to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, where saw Walter Scott
Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet was a Scottish historical novelist, playwright, and poet, popular throughout much of the world during his time....
, Lafayette, and other notables. Poore was subsequently expelled from Dummer Academy for misbehavior and apprenticed himself to a printer in Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
.
Poore's father purchased a paper in Athens, Georgia
Athens, Georgia
Athens-Clarke County is a consolidated city–county in U.S. state of Georgia, in the northeastern part of the state, comprising the former City of Athens proper and Clarke County. The University of Georgia is located in this college town and is responsible for the initial growth of the city...
, the Southern Whig, which Poore edited for two years. In 1841 he visited Europe again as attache of the American legation at Brussels, remaining abroad until 1848. During this period he was the foreign correspondent of the Boston Atlas. After editing the Boston Bee and Sunday Sentinel, Poore returned to the national capital in 1854 as a Washington correspondent. His colorful letters to The Boston Journal
The Boston Journal
The Boston Journal was a daily newspaper published in Boston, Massachusetts from 1833 until October 1917 when it was merged with the Boston Herald....
and other newspapers over the signature of "Perley" made his national reputation.
Millard Fillmore
Millard Fillmore was the 13th President of the United States and the last member of the Whig Party to hold the office of president...
in the election of 1856. Poore declared that he would wheel a barrel of apples from his home town of Newburyport to Boston if Fillmore failed to carry Massachusetts - a promise he fulfilled in a two-day journey, cheered on by crowds who lined his route.
In additional to his newspaper writing, Poore served as clerk of the committee of the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
on printing records, where he edited the Congressional Directory
Official Congressional Directory
The Official Congressional Directory is the official directory of the United State Congress, prepared by the Joint Committee on Printing and published by the United States Government Printing Office since 1888...
and the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
The Biographical Directory of the United States Congress is a biographical dictionary of all present and former members of the United States Congress as well as its predecessor, the Continental Congress...
. During the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
he organized a battalion of riflemen at Newbury that formed the nucleus of a company in the 8th Massachusetts volunteers, in which Poore served as major for a short time, retaining the title of Major Poore for the rest of his life.
In 1885, Poore organized the Gridiron Club
Gridiron Club
The Gridiron Club and Foundation, founded in 1885, is the oldest and one of the most prestigious journalistic organizations in Washington, D.C. Its 65 active members represent major newspapers, news services, news magazines and broadcast networks. Membership is by invitation only and has...
and served as its first president. Designed as social events to bring reporters and politicians together to repair the ill-will sometimes generated by news stories, Gridiron dinners featured satirical songs and skits performed by Washington's leading journalists. The Club's annual white-tie dinners continue to attract presidents and other dignitaries, functioning much as Poore anticipated.
Poore died in Washington, D.C.
Writings
- Campaign Life of General Zachary TaylorZachary TaylorZachary Taylor was the 12th President of the United States and an American military leader. Initially uninterested in politics, Taylor nonetheless ran as a Whig in the 1848 presidential election, defeating Lewis Cass...
(1848) - The Rise and Fall of Louis Philippe, Ex-king of the French (Boston, 1848)
- Early Life of Napoleon Bonaparte (1851)
- The Conspiracy Trial for the Murder of Abraham LincolnAbraham LincolnAbraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
(1865) - Federal and State Charters 2 vols., (1877)
- Life of Burnside (1882)
- Perley's Reminiscences of Sixty Years in the National Metropolis Vol. I (Philadelphia, 1886).
- Perley's Reminiscences of Sixty Years in the National Metropolis Vol. II (Philadelphia, 1886).
For further reading
- James Grant Wilson, John Fiske and Stanley L. Klos, eds., Appleton's Cyclopedia of American Biography (New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1887–1889).
- Joseph P. McKerns, "Benjamin Perley Poore of the Boston Journal: His Life and Times as a Washington Correspondent" (Ph.D. dissertation, University of Minnesota, 1979).
- Donald A. Ritchie. Press Gallery: Congress and the Washington Correspondents (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1991).