Edwin Croswell was an American journalist and politician. Croswell’s father and uncle were both influential editors and journalists in the early 19th century. Edwin expanded the family's influence on American journalism.

Early life

In 1800, while he lived in the Hudson River town of Catskill, Croswell's father, Mackay Croswell, started a newspaper called the Western Constellation. When it closed in 1804, Mackay Croswell started the "Catskill Recorder", in which he was later joined by his brother Harry Croswell. Harry had been named in a libel lawsuit, People vs Croswell, over an article about Pres. Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...

 that had appeared in The Wasp, a satiric newspaper that had been published for a few years in Hudson, NY.

A contemporary of Edwin's, Thurlow Weed

Thurlow Weed

Thurlow Weed was a New York newspaper publisher, politician, and party boss. He was the principal political advisor to the prominent New York politician William H...

, said "Mr. Croswell, as a boy, was noticeable for the same quiet, studious, refined habits and associations which have characterized his whole life." When Croswell was seven, he had "the advantage of the best tutors in the locality to instruct his youthful mind." He later attended college, where he studied English. When he was fourteen he began his apprenticeship at the family paper. By his mid-twenties, he had assumed more responsibility for writing, editing, and publishing the paper.

Albany years

In January, 1823, Croswell went to Albany, New York

Albany, New York

Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...

 for the funeral of Judge Moses I. Cantine

Moses I. Cantine

Moses I. Cantine was an American politician from New York.He was the son of John Cantine. Cantine served in both houses of the New York Legislature. President Martin Van Buren was his brother-in-law.On August 25, 1820, Cantine and Isaac Q...

, the editor and one of the publishers of the Albany Argus. Cantine was a Catskill native, and had written articles for the Recorder. Martin van Buren

Martin Van Buren

Martin Van Buren was the eighth President of the United States . Before his presidency, he was the eighth Vice President and the tenth Secretary of State, under Andrew Jackson ....

 and other members of the Albany Regency

Albany Regency

The Albany Regency was a group of politicians who controlled the New York state government between 1822 and 1838. The group was among the first American political machines...

, an influential Democratic party machine, urged Croswell to take the position of assistant editor of the Argus. Accepting the position, he worked for Issac Q. Leake, who continued as publisher until the latter part of 1823, when he became too ill to continue. The Argus voiced Van Buren’s positions on questions of the day, including the construction of the Erie Canal, establishment of the national bank, and the states’ rights issue of 'nullification'; the Argus also disparaged Tammany Hall

Tammany Hall

Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was a New York political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789 as the Tammany Society...

. On October 8, 1824, Croswell changed the paper from semi-weekly to daily publication. Articles in the Argus were reprinted in other papers throughout the state as embodiments of Democratic party principles. In 1840, Croswell was elected to the first of his two terms as ‘state printer’, which solidified his position in Albany. He retired from the Argus in 1854, succeeded by Gideon J. Tucker

Gideon J. Tucker

Gideon John Tucker was an American lawyer, newspaper editor and politician. In 1866, as Surrogate of New York, he wrote in a decision of a will case: "No man's life, liberty or property are safe while the Legislature is in session."-Life:He was born on Laight Street, near Canal Street in Lower...

; Croswell sold his interest in the Argus, and engaged in business in New York City.

Late life

Croswell became involved with the U.S. Mail Steamship Company in the 1840s. In May 1855 Croswell, as director of the United States Mail Steamship Company, he was charged with fraud and dishonest acts (People v Croswell). Croswell was then removed as a director and had to replace the stolen money. His childhood friend, Thurlow Weed

Thurlow Weed

Thurlow Weed was a New York newspaper publisher, politician, and party boss. He was the principal political advisor to the prominent New York politician William H...

, continued to visit Croswell. Edwin Croswell died in Princeton, New Jersey

Princeton, New Jersey

Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...

at the age of 74.