William Rule (American editor)
Encyclopedia
William Rule was an American
newspaper
editor and politician, best known as the founder of the Knoxville Journal, which was published in Knoxville, Tennessee
, from 1870 until 1991. A protégé of vitriolic newspaper editor William G. "Parson" Brownlow
, Rule established the Journal (initially called the Chronicle) as a successor to Brownlow's Knoxville Whig. Rule twice served as mayor of Knoxville (in 1873 and 1898), and published the city's first comprehensive history, Standard History of Knoxville, in 1900.
, about 7 miles (11.3 km) south of Knoxville, the son of Frederick and Sarah Brakebill Rule. He occasionally attended county schools, but was largely self-educated. In 1858, Rule and his brother, James, opened a general store at the corner of State Street and Cumberland Avenue in Knoxville. By 1860, this store had closed, and William joined the staff of Brownlow's Knoxville Whig, a radical and controvsial pro-Union
newspaper.
On November 10, 1861, in the early days of the Civil War
, Rule eluded Knoxville's Confederate
occupiers to carry news and messages to Brownlow, who was hiding out in Wears Valley
. Rule eventually fled to Kentucky and enlisted in Company A of the 6th Tennessee Infantry
, rising to the rank of captain before he was mustered out in 1865. After the war, Rule rejoined the Whig, this time serving as the paper's City Editor. He was elected to his first office, Knox County Court Clerk, in 1866, and was reelected in 1870, but resigned after one year.
newspaper in the post-bellum South, was sold to Knoxville businessman Joseph Mabry, who attempted to rebrand it as a Democratic Party newspaper. To ensure the survival of Knoxville's pro-Republican newspaper tradition, Rule left the Whig in 1870 and formed the Knoxville Chronicle, which he considered the true successor to Brownlow's paper. When Brownlow returned to Knoxville after his Senate term had ended in 1875, he purchased a half stake in the Chronicle, and the paper was published as the Whig and Chronicle until Brownlow's death in 1877.
Rule was first elected Mayor of Knoxville in 1873. He spearheaded a successful initiative to establish a city waterworks, which Knoxville voters approved in June of that year. He also opened a small pox hospital on the outskirts of town, and appointed a board of health.
, and demanded he issue a retraction. When Rule refused, Wallace proceeded to loudly issue a "formal denunciation" of Rule. As Wallace spoke, Rule bashed him over the head with a cane, whereupon Wallace drew a pistol and fired three shots, all of which missed.
Both Wallace and Rule were arrested, but no charges were filed, and both editors blamed the other for the incident. Wallace argued he had drawn the ire of the Chronicle for exposing the "corrupt practices" of Republican politicians, and had acted in self-defense. Rule's account mocked Wallace's behavior as frantic and over-dramatic. On the day after the incident, local Republicans presented Rule with a new cane.
(a former rival of Rule) that dominated East Tennessee politics. In 1887, Rule published a speech, "The Loyalists of Tennessee in the Late War," which detailed the actions of East Tennessee's Unionists during the Civil War. During the same period, Rule spoke out against Appalachia
n stereotypes (which were beginning to take shape), arguing that people from the region had normal levels of intelligence, but suffered due to Southern states' lack of funding for schools.
On January 29, 1888, another violent incident involving the Rule family took place in Knoxville. After the Journal published an article questioning the competence of Dr. A. T. West, who had been appointed city physician by the Board of Aldermen, West's sons, John and William, confronted Rule's brother, James (who was an editor for the Journal), outside St. John's Episcopal Church, and demanded he reveal the article's author. When Rule refused, the Wests attacked him. Rule was shot through the wrist and stabbed before he managed to draw a pistol and fire blindly, killing John West.
In 1900, Rule cowrote and edited the Standard History of Knoxville, the city's first fully comprehensive history. After Rule was again elected mayor in 1898, he sold his ownership stake in the Journal, but continued as the paper's editor. After his death in 1928, he was described as having been the "oldest active editor in the U.S." by Time
magazine. Rule is buried with his family in Old Gray Cemetery.
Rule High School
, named after William Rule, operated in Knoxville from 1927 until 1991. A house built by Rule at 1604 Clinch Avenue in the Fort Sanders neighborhood is now a contributing property within the National Register of Historic Places
-listed Fort Sanders Historic District. Rule's grandson, Gunby Rule, worked as an editor for the Journal and later the News-Sentinel into the latter half of the 20th century.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
editor and politician, best known as the founder of the Knoxville Journal, which was published in Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
, from 1870 until 1991. A protégé of vitriolic newspaper editor William G. "Parson" Brownlow
William Gannaway Brownlow
William Gannaway "Parson" Brownlow was an American newspaper editor, minister, and politician who served as Governor of the state of Tennessee from 1865 to 1869 and as a United States Senator from Tennessee from 1869 to 1875...
, Rule established the Journal (initially called the Chronicle) as a successor to Brownlow's Knoxville Whig. Rule twice served as mayor of Knoxville (in 1873 and 1898), and published the city's first comprehensive history, Standard History of Knoxville, in 1900.
Early life
Rule was born in rural Knox County, TennesseeKnox County, Tennessee
Knox County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Its 2007 population was estimated at 423,874 by the United States Census Bureau. Its county seat is Knoxville, as it has been since the creation of the county. The county is at the geographical center of the Great Valley of East Tennessee...
, about 7 miles (11.3 km) south of Knoxville, the son of Frederick and Sarah Brakebill Rule. He occasionally attended county schools, but was largely self-educated. In 1858, Rule and his brother, James, opened a general store at the corner of State Street and Cumberland Avenue in Knoxville. By 1860, this store had closed, and William joined the staff of Brownlow's Knoxville Whig, a radical and controvsial pro-Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
newspaper.
On November 10, 1861, in the early days of 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...
, Rule eluded Knoxville's Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
occupiers to carry news and messages to Brownlow, who was hiding out in Wears Valley
Wears Valley, Tennessee
Wears Valley is an unincorporated area in Sevier County, Tennessee, treated by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census county division. As of the 2000 Census, the population of Wears Valley was 6,486....
. Rule eventually fled to Kentucky and enlisted in Company A of the 6th Tennessee Infantry
6th Regiment Tennessee Volunteer Infantry
The 6th Regiment Tennessee Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 6th Tennessee Infantry was organized at Williamsburg and Boston, Kentucky and mustered in for a three year enlistment on April 18, 1862.The regiment was...
, rising to the rank of captain before he was mustered out in 1865. After the war, Rule rejoined the Whig, this time serving as the paper's City Editor. He was elected to his first office, Knox County Court Clerk, in 1866, and was reelected in 1870, but resigned after one year.
Early publishing and political career
In 1869, the Whig, which was the only pro-RepublicanRepublican 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...
newspaper in the post-bellum South, was sold to Knoxville businessman Joseph Mabry, who attempted to rebrand it as a Democratic Party newspaper. To ensure the survival of Knoxville's pro-Republican newspaper tradition, Rule left the Whig in 1870 and formed the Knoxville Chronicle, which he considered the true successor to Brownlow's paper. When Brownlow returned to Knoxville after his Senate term had ended in 1875, he purchased a half stake in the Chronicle, and the paper was published as the Whig and Chronicle until Brownlow's death in 1877.
Rule was first elected Mayor of Knoxville in 1873. He spearheaded a successful initiative to establish a city waterworks, which Knoxville voters approved in June of that year. He also opened a small pox hospital on the outskirts of town, and appointed a board of health.
Rule–Wallace shooting
During the 1880s, the Chronicle consistently quarreled with the pro-Democratic Knoxville Tribune. On the morning of March 11, 1882, the Chronicle featured an article accusing the Tribune of publishing obscene material, and insulted its editors as "cowardly puppies." That evening, James W. Wallace, editor of the Tribune, angrily accosted Rule on Gay StreetGay Street (Knoxville)
Gay Street is a street in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, that traverses the heart of the city's downtown area. Since its development in the 1790s, Gay Street has served as the city's principal financial and commercial thoroughfare, and has played a primary role in the city's historical and cultural...
, and demanded he issue a retraction. When Rule refused, Wallace proceeded to loudly issue a "formal denunciation" of Rule. As Wallace spoke, Rule bashed him over the head with a cane, whereupon Wallace drew a pistol and fired three shots, all of which missed.
Both Wallace and Rule were arrested, but no charges were filed, and both editors blamed the other for the incident. Wallace argued he had drawn the ire of the Chronicle for exposing the "corrupt practices" of Republican politicians, and had acted in self-defense. Rule's account mocked Wallace's behavior as frantic and over-dramatic. On the day after the incident, local Republicans presented Rule with a new cane.
Later career
Throughout the 1880s, Rule's newspaper (which after a series of ownership changes became the Knoxville Journal) was the mouthpiece for the so-called "Houk Machine," a Republican political syndicate headed by Leonidas C. HoukLeonidas C. Houk
Leonidas Campbell Houk was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives for the 2nd congressional district of Tennessee...
(a former rival of Rule) that dominated East Tennessee politics. In 1887, Rule published a speech, "The Loyalists of Tennessee in the Late War," which detailed the actions of East Tennessee's Unionists during the Civil War. During the same period, Rule spoke out against Appalachia
Appalachia
Appalachia is a term used to describe a cultural region in the eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York state to northern Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Canada to Cheaha Mountain in the U.S...
n stereotypes (which were beginning to take shape), arguing that people from the region had normal levels of intelligence, but suffered due to Southern states' lack of funding for schools.
On January 29, 1888, another violent incident involving the Rule family took place in Knoxville. After the Journal published an article questioning the competence of Dr. A. T. West, who had been appointed city physician by the Board of Aldermen, West's sons, John and William, confronted Rule's brother, James (who was an editor for the Journal), outside St. John's Episcopal Church, and demanded he reveal the article's author. When Rule refused, the Wests attacked him. Rule was shot through the wrist and stabbed before he managed to draw a pistol and fire blindly, killing John West.
In 1900, Rule cowrote and edited the Standard History of Knoxville, the city's first fully comprehensive history. After Rule was again elected mayor in 1898, he sold his ownership stake in the Journal, but continued as the paper's editor. After his death in 1928, he was described as having been the "oldest active editor in the U.S." by Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine. Rule is buried with his family in Old Gray Cemetery.
Legacy
In the 1870s, future New York Times publisher Adolph Ochs began his newspaper career at Rule's Chronicle as a "printer's devil." Ochs's biographer suggests that Ochs harbored superstitions about cemeteries, and as his walk home passed the First Presbyterian Church Cemetery, he often stayed at the Chronicle office all night, and passed the time learning the printer's trade.Rule High School
Rule High School (Knoxville)
Rule High School was a public high school in Knoxville, Tennessee. It opened in 1927 and closed in 1991.The school was named after Knoxville newspaper editor Captain William Rule . When it originally opened in the fall of 1927, it was an elementary-junior high school with 525 students enrolled in...
, named after William Rule, operated in Knoxville from 1927 until 1991. A house built by Rule at 1604 Clinch Avenue in the Fort Sanders neighborhood is now a contributing property within 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...
-listed Fort Sanders Historic District. Rule's grandson, Gunby Rule, worked as an editor for the Journal and later the News-Sentinel into the latter half of the 20th century.
External links
- Portrait of William Rule, circa 1900 — Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection
- Rule family portrait, c. 1868 — Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection
- Standard History of Knoxville — Google Books
- The Loyalists of Tennessee in the Late War — Google Books