Springfield Republican
Encyclopedia
The Republican is a newspaper based in Springfield, Massachusetts
. It is owned by Newhouse Newspapers, a division of Advance Publications. It played important roles in the United States Republican Party
's founding, Charles Dow
's career, and the invention of the pronoun "Ms.
"
, it was converted into a daily in 1844. From the beginning it had a focus on local news. As rapidly as possible its news-gathering was extended until within a few years its columns contained departments of items from every town and hamlet along the Connecticut Valley, as well as from Springfield. It achieved national renown in the nineteenth century under the tenure of Samuel Bowles III
, a legacy that was passed to his son, Samuel Bowles IV.
Bowles III believed that the newspaper should be a power in the moral, religious, and literary, as well as the political life of the community, and he tried to make his paper fulfill those functions. With the aid of J. G. Holland and others who joined the staff the paper attained excellent literary quality and a high moral tone. Its opinions soon reached all New England
, and after the formation of the Republican party they extended far beyond the limits of any section.
During the controversies affecting slavery
and resulting in the American Civil War
, Bowles supported, in general, the Whig
and Republican
parties, but in the period of Reconstruction under President Ulysses S. Grant
, his paper represented anti-administration or Liberal Republican opinions, while in the disputed election of 1876
it favored the claims of Samuel J. Tilden
, and subsequently became independent in politics. It endorsed the Democratic candidate for president in every modern election until the 2008 election, in which it endorsed John McCain
.
Bowles was an acquaintance of Emily Dickinson
, and he published a handful of the very few poems by the poet printed in her lifetime, including "A narrow fellow in the grass" and "Safe in their alabaster chambers."
Bowles was succeeded as publisher and editor-in-chief of the Republican by his son Samuel Bowles (b. 1851).
Charles Dow
, founder of Dow Jones and The Wall Street Journal
, started his career as a business reporter for the Springfield Daily Republican.
The pronoun "Ms." was first suggested by an anonymous 1901 letter to The Republican. The letter read, in part, "To call a maiden Mrs. is only a shade worse than to insult a matron with the inferior title Miss. Yet it is not always easy to know the facts... The abbreviation 'Ms.' is simple, it is easy to write, and the person concerned can translate it properly according to the circumstances."http://www.masslive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2009/11/word_sleuth_finds_ms_origin_in.html
The second half of the 20th century saw the consolidation of Springfield's newspapers. The Republican became part of two other local papers. The Springfield Daily News and the Morning Union merged in the 1970s, briefly operating as separate papers, even endorsing different candidates for the same offices. Eventually the two editions were combined into The Union-News (a morning paper) in 1988, with The Sunday Republican being published on Sundays. An organization called the Springfield Newspapers became the local division of the Newhouse family empire. The newspaper was formerly known as The Springfield Union News & Sunday Republican.
The newspaper reverted to its historical, pre-Union-News name of The Republican around 2001.
In recent years, the newspaper has received much criticism for its practice of distributing unsolicited advertising flyers to houses. Some consider this to be an annoying and wasteful littering problem. http://springfieldintruder.com/archives/4085
December 15, 2009: George Arwady has been named publisher of The Springfield Republican, effective December 31, 2009. He was previously publisher of The Newark Star-Ledger.
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
. It is owned by Newhouse Newspapers, a division of Advance Publications. It played important roles in the United States Republican Party
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...
's founding, Charles Dow
Charles Dow
Charles Henry Dow was an American journalist who co-founded Dow Jones & Company with Edward Jones and Charles Bergstresser....
's career, and the invention of the pronoun "Ms.
Ms.
Ms. or Ms is an English honorific used with the last name or full name of a woman. According to The Emily Post Institute, Ms...
"
Beginning
Established by Samuel Bowles II in 1824 as a rural weeklyWeekly newspaper
A weekly newspaper is a general-news publication that is published on newsprint once or twice a week.Such newspapers tend to have smaller circulations than daily newspapers, and are usually based in less-populous communities or small, defined areas within large cities; often, they may cover a...
, it was converted into a daily in 1844. From the beginning it had a focus on local news. As rapidly as possible its news-gathering was extended until within a few years its columns contained departments of items from every town and hamlet along the Connecticut Valley, as well as from Springfield. It achieved national renown in the nineteenth century under the tenure of Samuel Bowles III
Samuel Bowles (journalist)
Samuel Bowles III was an American journalist born in Springfield, Massachusetts. Beginning in 1844 he was the publisher and editor of The Republican , a position he held until his death in 1878....
, a legacy that was passed to his son, Samuel Bowles IV.
Politics
In 1855, Bowles II called for the founding of a new party that would abolish slavery. He suggested the name "Republican." Once abolitionists founded a party by this name, The Republican became one if its most unrelenting supporters.Bowles III believed that the newspaper should be a power in the moral, religious, and literary, as well as the political life of the community, and he tried to make his paper fulfill those functions. With the aid of J. G. Holland and others who joined the staff the paper attained excellent literary quality and a high moral tone. Its opinions soon reached all New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
, and after the formation of the Republican party they extended far beyond the limits of any section.
During the controversies affecting slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
and resulting in the American 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...
, Bowles supported, in general, the Whig
Patriot (American Revolution)
Patriots is a name often used to describe the colonists of the British Thirteen United Colonies who rebelled against British control during the American Revolution. It was their leading figures who, in July 1776, declared the United States of America an independent nation...
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, but in the period of Reconstruction under President Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
, his paper represented anti-administration or Liberal Republican opinions, while in the disputed election of 1876
United States presidential election, 1876
The United States presidential election of 1876 was one of the most disputed and controversial presidential elections in American history. Samuel J. Tilden of New York outpolled Ohio's Rutherford B. Hayes in the popular vote, and had 184 electoral votes to Hayes's 165, with 20 votes uncounted...
it favored the claims of Samuel J. Tilden
Samuel J. Tilden
Samuel Jones Tilden was the Democratic candidate for the U.S. presidency in the disputed election of 1876, one of the most controversial American elections of the 19th century. He was the 25th Governor of New York...
, and subsequently became independent in politics. It endorsed the Democratic candidate for president in every modern election until the 2008 election, in which it endorsed John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
.
Other
During Bowles' lifetime, and subsequently, the Republican office was a sort of school for young journalists, especially in the matter of pungency and conciseness of style, one of his maxims being: "put it all in the first paragraph".Bowles was an acquaintance of Emily Dickinson
Emily Dickinson
Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was an American poet. Born in Amherst, Massachusetts, to a successful family with strong community ties, she lived a mostly introverted and reclusive life...
, and he published a handful of the very few poems by the poet printed in her lifetime, including "A narrow fellow in the grass" and "Safe in their alabaster chambers."
Bowles was succeeded as publisher and editor-in-chief of the Republican by his son Samuel Bowles (b. 1851).
Charles Dow
Charles Dow
Charles Henry Dow was an American journalist who co-founded Dow Jones & Company with Edward Jones and Charles Bergstresser....
, founder of Dow Jones and The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
, started his career as a business reporter for the Springfield Daily Republican.
The pronoun "Ms." was first suggested by an anonymous 1901 letter to The Republican. The letter read, in part, "To call a maiden Mrs. is only a shade worse than to insult a matron with the inferior title Miss. Yet it is not always easy to know the facts... The abbreviation 'Ms.' is simple, it is easy to write, and the person concerned can translate it properly according to the circumstances."http://www.masslive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2009/11/word_sleuth_finds_ms_origin_in.html
The second half of the 20th century saw the consolidation of Springfield's newspapers. The Republican became part of two other local papers. The Springfield Daily News and the Morning Union merged in the 1970s, briefly operating as separate papers, even endorsing different candidates for the same offices. Eventually the two editions were combined into The Union-News (a morning paper) in 1988, with The Sunday Republican being published on Sundays. An organization called the Springfield Newspapers became the local division of the Newhouse family empire. The newspaper was formerly known as The Springfield Union News & Sunday Republican.
The newspaper reverted to its historical, pre-Union-News name of The Republican around 2001.
In recent years, the newspaper has received much criticism for its practice of distributing unsolicited advertising flyers to houses. Some consider this to be an annoying and wasteful littering problem. http://springfieldintruder.com/archives/4085
Today
Wayne E. Phaneuf is currently the executive editor of the paper. George Arwady is currently the newspaper's publisher.See also
- History of American newspapersHistory of American newspapersThe history of American newspapers goes back to the 17th century with the publication of the first colonial newspapers.-Colonial period:-The New England Courant:...
December 15, 2009: George Arwady has been named publisher of The Springfield Republican, effective December 31, 2009. He was previously publisher of The Newark Star-Ledger.