William Cauldwell
Encyclopedia
William Cauldwell was a 19th century newspaper publisher of the New York Sunday Mercury
. He has been called the "Father of Sunday Journalism", and also served in the New York State Senate.
and attended Jefferson College for three years. He then returned to New York, and after working for two years in a dry-goods store, got a job in the printing business under Samuel Adams.
, Cauldwell went to work at the New York Atlas
(a Sunday only newspaper founded in 1838) around 1841, doing typesetting. He became acquainted with Walt Whitman
during that time, and stayed at the Atlas until 1850.
In 1850, Cauldwell bought out Elbridge G. Paige's one-third ownership stake in the Sunday Mercury
for $1,200. Cauldwell expanded the paper and increased its coverage of literature, city news, and sports. Sylvester Southworth and Horace P. Whitney (1834- August 24, 1884) soon joined Cauldwell, and the paper prospered.
Cauldwell and the Mercury are credited as being the first newspaper to regularly cover the sport of baseball
as news, starting in 1853 with a report on a game between the Knickerbockers
and the Gothams.Martinez, Jose (25 October 2000). Went to bat for baseball: Newspaperman behind game accounts, Daily News (New York), Retrieved November 1, 2010(1 July 1905) Henry Chadwick: The Father of Baseball, The Spokesman-Review, Retrieved November 1, 2010 (citing Henry Chadwick as reporting that the Mercury was the first paper covering baseball, with Cauldwell regularly reporting on games played in New York City) The paper was the first to use the phrase "national pastime", in December 1856. In 1858, Cauldwell hired rising star Henrick Chadwick, later dubbed the "father of baseball", to cover the sport for the paper. Chadwick is more famous today, but Cauldwell was arguably the first major booster of baseball.
By 1876, Cauldwell had full ownership of the Mercury. In the early 1890s, however, the paper embarked an ill-fated plan to start up a daily edition. Losing money rapidly, Cauldwell apparently began to borrow funds from the estate of millionaire Jason Rogers, of which he was a co-trustee with his son-in-law Thomas Rogers, to try to keep the paper afloat.(12 May 1898) A Heavy Fine: Thomas Rogers Goes To Jail in Default, The Evening Times (Washington, D.C.), Retrieved November 2, 2010 Some sources reported that it was Jason Rogers' and Cauldwell's mutual grandson (also named Jason Rogers) who convinced Cauldwell to expand the paper in the first place. In August 1894, Cauldwell gave up editorial control of the paper, with Jason Rogers stepping in as publisher and James F. Graham taking on the editorial duties. The paper continued to lose money (reportedly about $2000 a week), and in March 1895 Cauldwell sold the paper to William Noble in a somewhat unusual exchange, where he received a hotel called the Hotel Empire in exchange for the paper.
In 1901, Cauldwell returned to journalism as the editor of the The Successful American.Something About Ourselves, The Successful American (Sept-Oct 1891)
, representing the Ninth District (which included Morrisania
and Westchester County
).Boone, H.H. & Cook, Theodore P. Life sketches of executive officers and members of the legislature of the state of New York, Vol. 3, p. 67-68 (1870) He was elected to a second term in 1869, and defeated by the Republican candidate William H. Robertson, in 1871. In 1874 he was elected to the New York State Legislature. He also served as a supervisor for the Bronx until it was annexed into New York City, and also served on the local board of education.
called him "the father of Sunday journalism."(3 December 1907) Ex-Senator William Cauldwell, New York Tribune
, Retrieved November 2, 2010 He was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery.
.
, New York
in 1892, known as the William Cauldwell House
, that was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 2009.
Sunday Mercury (New York)
The Sunday Mercury was a weekly Sunday newspaper published in New York City that grew to become the highest-circulation weekly newspaper in the United States at its peak...
. He has been called the "Father of Sunday Journalism", and also served in the New York State Senate.
Biography
Cauldwell was born in New York City on October 12, 1824, to Andrew and Margaret Ann Cauldwell. At age 11, he left home to live with an uncle in St. Martinville, LouisianaSt. Martinville, Louisiana
St. Martinville is a city in and the parish seat of St. Martin Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on Bayou Teche, sixteen miles south of Breaux Bridge, eighteen miles southeast of Lafayette, and nine miles north of New Iberia. The population was 6,989 at the 2000 census. It is part of the...
and attended Jefferson College for three years. He then returned to New York, and after working for two years in a dry-goods store, got a job in the printing business under Samuel Adams.
Newspaper career
After Adams was murdered by John C. ColtJohn C. Colt
John Caldwell Colt , the brother of Samuel Colt, was a fur-trader, book keeper, law clerk, and teacher. He became an authority on double-entry bookkeeping system and published a textbook on the subject. He was convicted of the murder of a printer named Samuel Adams, to whom Colt owed money over...
, Cauldwell went to work at the New York Atlas
New York Atlas
The New York Atlas was a Sunday newspaper in New York City which was published from 1838 until the 1880s.The paper was founded as a Sunday-only paper in 1838 by Anson Herrick and Jesse A. Fell as the Sunday Morning Atlas. It began publication on August 12, 1838. Frederick West soon joined as an...
(a Sunday only newspaper founded in 1838) around 1841, doing typesetting. He became acquainted with Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman
Walter "Walt" Whitman was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse...
during that time, and stayed at the Atlas until 1850.
In 1850, Cauldwell bought out Elbridge G. Paige's one-third ownership stake in the Sunday Mercury
Sunday Mercury (New York)
The Sunday Mercury was a weekly Sunday newspaper published in New York City that grew to become the highest-circulation weekly newspaper in the United States at its peak...
for $1,200. Cauldwell expanded the paper and increased its coverage of literature, city news, and sports. Sylvester Southworth and Horace P. Whitney (1834- August 24, 1884) soon joined Cauldwell, and the paper prospered.
Cauldwell and the Mercury are credited as being the first newspaper to regularly cover the sport of baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
as news, starting in 1853 with a report on a game between the Knickerbockers
New York Knickerbockers
The New York Knickerbockers were one of the first organized baseball teams which played under a set of rules similar to the game today. The team was founded by Alexander Cartwright, considered one of the original developers of modern baseball....
and the Gothams.Martinez, Jose (25 October 2000). Went to bat for baseball: Newspaperman behind game accounts, Daily News (New York), Retrieved November 1, 2010(1 July 1905) Henry Chadwick: The Father of Baseball, The Spokesman-Review, Retrieved November 1, 2010 (citing Henry Chadwick as reporting that the Mercury was the first paper covering baseball, with Cauldwell regularly reporting on games played in New York City) The paper was the first to use the phrase "national pastime", in December 1856. In 1858, Cauldwell hired rising star Henrick Chadwick, later dubbed the "father of baseball", to cover the sport for the paper. Chadwick is more famous today, but Cauldwell was arguably the first major booster of baseball.
By 1876, Cauldwell had full ownership of the Mercury. In the early 1890s, however, the paper embarked an ill-fated plan to start up a daily edition. Losing money rapidly, Cauldwell apparently began to borrow funds from the estate of millionaire Jason Rogers, of which he was a co-trustee with his son-in-law Thomas Rogers, to try to keep the paper afloat.(12 May 1898) A Heavy Fine: Thomas Rogers Goes To Jail in Default, The Evening Times (Washington, D.C.), Retrieved November 2, 2010 Some sources reported that it was Jason Rogers' and Cauldwell's mutual grandson (also named Jason Rogers) who convinced Cauldwell to expand the paper in the first place. In August 1894, Cauldwell gave up editorial control of the paper, with Jason Rogers stepping in as publisher and James F. Graham taking on the editorial duties. The paper continued to lose money (reportedly about $2000 a week), and in March 1895 Cauldwell sold the paper to William Noble in a somewhat unusual exchange, where he received a hotel called the Hotel Empire in exchange for the paper.
In 1901, Cauldwell returned to journalism as the editor of the The Successful American.Something About Ourselves, The Successful American (Sept-Oct 1891)
Political career
In 1867, Cauldwell was elected to the New York State SenateNew York State Senate
The New York State Senate is one of two houses in the New York State Legislature and has members each elected to two-year terms. There are no limits on the number of terms one may serve...
, representing the Ninth District (which included Morrisania
Morrisania, Bronx
Morrisania is the historical name for the South Bronx and derives from the powerful and aristocratic Morris family, who at one time owned all of the Manor of Morrisania. Today the name is most commonly associated with the village of Morrisania, which is only a small corner of the original...
and Westchester County
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
).Boone, H.H. & Cook, Theodore P. Life sketches of executive officers and members of the legislature of the state of New York, Vol. 3, p. 67-68 (1870) He was elected to a second term in 1869, and defeated by the Republican candidate William H. Robertson, in 1871. In 1874 he was elected to the New York State Legislature. He also served as a supervisor for the Bronx until it was annexed into New York City, and also served on the local board of education.
Death
Caudwell died on December 2, 1907 at his home on Madison Avenue. The New York TribuneNew York Tribune
The New York Tribune was an American newspaper, first established by Horace Greeley in 1841, which was long considered one of the leading newspapers in the United States...
called him "the father of Sunday journalism."(3 December 1907) Ex-Senator William Cauldwell, New York Tribune
New York Tribune
The New York Tribune was an American newspaper, first established by Horace Greeley in 1841, which was long considered one of the leading newspapers in the United States...
, Retrieved November 2, 2010 He was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery.
Personal
Cauldwell married Elizabeth Dyer on October 7, 1845, and had six children. His son Leslie Giffin Cauldwell became a well-known artist and decorator.National cyclopaedia of American biography, Volume 3, p. 432-33 (1893) His grandson Jason Rogers (son of his daughter Emily) started his publishing career at the Mercury under Cauldwell and had a successful career in the newspaper industry including with The New York GlobeThe New York Globe
The New York Globe was a daily New York City newspaper published from 1904 to 1923, when it was bought and merged into the New York Sun.-History:...
.
Legacy
Cauldwell Avenue (named in 1916) and Cauldwell Playground (opened 1936, renamed the "Hilton White Playground" in 2009) in the Bronx were named in honor of Cauldwell. Cauldwell built a summer house on Long IslandLong Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1892, known as the William Cauldwell House
William Cauldwell House
William Cauldwell House is a historic home located at Noyack in Suffolk County, New York. It was built in 1892 for newspaper publisher William Cauldwell, and is a three story, three bay wide building with a steeply pitched, side gabled roof, a two story central dormer extending from the second...
, that was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 2009.
See also
- Sunday Mercury (New York)Sunday Mercury (New York)The Sunday Mercury was a weekly Sunday newspaper published in New York City that grew to become the highest-circulation weekly newspaper in the United States at its peak...
- William Cauldwell HouseWilliam Cauldwell HouseWilliam Cauldwell House is a historic home located at Noyack in Suffolk County, New York. It was built in 1892 for newspaper publisher William Cauldwell, and is a three story, three bay wide building with a steeply pitched, side gabled roof, a two story central dormer extending from the second...