Famous Editors of Early Iowa
by Hubert Moeller

Today our daily newspapers bring us news from all the world. They tell us about all the different political parties. How different this is from newspapers of early Iowa. The early papers were weeklies. They had little news from outside of the state or their locality. They championed one political party and expected the men of that party to support them.

In 1849 a number of Polk county Whigs subscribed nearly $350 as a bonus to anyone who would publish a Whig paper in Fort Des Moines. Depending upon this and a promise of many subscribers, Lampson P. Sherman began the Fort Des Moines Gazette, a Whig paper. A year later Mr. Sherman quit, saying that of the 500 Whigs in the county only 125 were subscribers and half of these had not paid their subscription.

The Crowing Rooster

After an election early newspapers would have at the top of page one a picture of a rooster crowing, if the party it supported had won. Editors of early newspapers usually became important men in the community. They were proud of the articles they wrote for their papers. They often made fun of each other and called each other names. An editor would often call the editor of another paper a liar. They called each other villains, skunks, blackguards, and often worse names. One Iowa paper called another the "loco foco rag."

The first newspaper printed in Iowa was the Dubuque Visitor. The first issue was dated May 11, 1836. John King was publisher and editor. Mr. King had other interests and sold the paper when it was but a few months old. The Second Newspaper.
The second newspaper to make its appearance in Iowa was the Western Adventurer, published at Montrose. The first issue was dated June 28, 1837. Dr. Isaac Galland, who brought the first teacher to Iowa, was editor and publisher. The paper was a financial failure. After a few issues had been printed, it was sold to James G. Edwards. He moved it to Fort Madison and began, in 1838, publishing the Fort Madison Patriot.

Prominent among Iowa editors of the pioneer period are James B. Howell of the Keokuk Gate City, Clark Dunham of the Burlington Hawkeye, the Clarksons of the Iowa State Register, and Charles Aldrich of the Webster City Freeman.

Gave Up Law

James B. Howell was born near Morristown, N. J. on July 4, 1816. When he was three years old his family moved to Ohio. Here he gained a good education. After finishing an academy he attended Miami University, graduating in 1837. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1839. Mr. Howell came to Iowa in 1841. He settled at Keosauqua and began a law practice. About 1845 Mr. Howell and Mr. James Cole bought a Whig newspaper at Keokuk and established the Daily Gate City in 1849. The paper grew rapidly. Mr. Howell's influence spread throughout the lower Des Moines valley. He was elected United States senator. President Grant appointed him as one of the judges of Southern claims.

From Ohio to Iowa

Clark Dunham was born in New Haven, Conn., in 1816. As a child he moved with his family to Ohio. Here he attended the public schools and later graduated from Granville college. Soon afterward he entered the newspaper business. For 14 years he was editor and publisher of the Newark Gazette. In 1854 he came to Burlington. Here, with his brother-in-law, John L. Brown, he purchased the Burlington Hawkeye. Later Mr. Dunham became sole owner of the paper. He made of it one of the leading Republican papers of Iowa. Mr. Dunham was appointed postmaster of Burlington in 1867. He died in Burlington in 1871.

The Clarkson Family

Most interesting early editors were Coker F. Clarkson and his two sons, Richard and James. Coker Clarkson was born in Maine in 1810. His family moved to Indiana when he was but 10 years old. At 17 years of age he began learning the printing business. A few years later he bought and published the Brookville American. He sold this paper in 1854. The next year the Clarkson family moved to Grundy county, Ia. Here they developed a fine farm. in 1863 Coker F. Clarkson was elected to the state senate. In 1870 the three Clarksons bought the Iowa State Register. The father became the agricultural editor. He continued writing until his death in May, 1890.

Richard P. Clarkson

Richard P. Clarkson, the eldest son, was born at Brookville, Ind., in 1840. He was taught the printing business by his father. Upon moving to Iowa, he worked with his father on the farm. In the spring of 1861, he obtained a position with the State Register in Des Moines. In October, 1861, he enlisted in the Union army and [paper torn off]. When the Clarksons bought the Iowa State Register, Richard became the business manager. In 1889 he became the sole owner and served as editor. In 1902 he was appointed pension agent for Iowa and Nebraska and sold the paper. he died in Des Moines in 1905.

James S. Clarkson

James S. Clarkson was born at Brookville, Ind., in 1842. From 1855 to 1866 he worked on his father's farm. In 1866 he began working on teh staff of the Iowa State Register. He soon rose to the position of editor. After the Clarksons bought the paper he continued in this position. James Clarkson became known as the greatest editorial writer that ever lived in Iowa. He became a leader in the Republican party. He served as postmaster of Des Moines for six years. In 1891, James sold his interest in the paper and moved to New York. He refused positions offered him by four presidents, either as cabinet member or as a minister to various foreign countries.

Charles Aldrich

Charles Aldrich, founder and curator of the Iowa Historical department, was born at Ellington, N. Y., in October, 1828. He attended the public schools and was a student at Jamestown academy. He entered the printing business in 1846. In 1850 he established a weekly paper at Randolph, N. Y. Mr. Aldrich came west in 1857 and established the Hamilton Freeman at Webster City. He joined the Union army in 1862 and became adjutant of the Thirty-second Iowa infantry. After the war he served as editor of the Dubuque Times and later the Marshall County Times. Mr. Aldrich served as clerk or a member in five state legislatures. Here he supported many measures to preserve Iowa history.

Iowa's Early Newspapers
by Hubert Moeller

Nowadays we expect to get our morning paper every day. Big presses in Iowa turn out hundreds of thousands of copies for us. Thousands of men are employed in the printing of these papers, and thousands more in gathering and writing the news. All of this has come about in less than 100 years.

John King was the first man in the newspaper business in Iowa. He came to Dubuque from Ohio in 1834. He returned to Ohio the next year, and in the spring of 1836 he bought, at Cincinnati, a Smith press and the type necessary to start printing a small paper. He got a [illegible] from Ohio, William Cary Jones, to go with him to Dubuque as a typesetter. Mr. King got Andrew Keesecker, who was engaged in the printing business at Galena, Ill., to go to Dubuque to set up the press and to get the type ready. Mr. Keesecker set the type for the first story:

The Dubuque Visitor

This first newspaper printed in Iowa was the Dubuque Visitor. Politically it was neutral and had as its motto, "Truth Our Guide --The Public Good Our Aim." The first issue was dated May 11, 1836, and bore the heading, Dubuque Lead Mines, Wisconsin Territory. In reality, Dubuque was then part of the Michigan territory, but was to be made part of the newly created Wisconsin territory on July 4, 1836. The paper changed owners and names several times in the first five years. Mr. King was its publisher only a few months. When it was only a year old, it became a Democratic paper.

Romance of a Press

The first press had an interesting and romantic history. In 1842, it was sold to a man who started a paper in Wisconsin. From there it went to St. Paul, where it is said to have been used to print the first newspaper in Minnesota. From St. Paul, it is supposed to have been taken to a place near Sioux Falls, S.D., to be used by the Dacotah Democrat, the first paper to be published in the unorganized Dacotah Territory. The Indians attacked and burned the settlement, ruining the press.

The second newspaper to make its appearance in Iowa was The Western Adventurer, published by Dr. Isaac Galland at Montrose, Ia. The first issue was dated June 28, 1837. It was a financial failure, and after a few issues had been printed, it was sold to James G. Edwards, who moved it to Fort Madison and began publishing in the spring of 1838 the Fort Madison Patriot. It is said that Chief Black Hawk and his sons watched the printing of the first paper at Fort Madison. They thought the press a wonderful affair. Indians were frequent visitors at the Fort Madison printing office. They always enjoyed watching the press work.

The third paper in Iowa was one started in Belmont, Wis., and then moved to Burlington, Ia. It was called the Wisconsin Territorial Gazette and Burlington Advertiser.

The State Register

The Iowa Sun and Davenport and Rock Island News was started in Davenport on Aug. 5, 1838. It lasted only a few years. Many newspapers were started in this early day but few lasted long. Between 1843 and 1857, there were five papers started in Dubuque. Only one of these lasted longer than 1858.

The first newspaper to be published in Des Moines was the Star, which started publication in 1849. The first regular daily newspaper to be published in Des Moines was The State Register, which began daily publication on Jan. 12, 1862. This paper had obtained the first telegraph news in Iowa in 1860. This then became a great feature of the daily editions.

There have been literally hundreds of newspapers in Iowa since pioneer days which have ceased publication or combined with other papers. In Des Moines alone, more than 20 newspapers have been started. But in most Iowa cities today, this process has left but one paper.

Early Newspapers and Writers of Iowa
by Hubert L. Moeller

It is not easy for us to think of a time when there were no daily papers in Iowa. If something happens in Rome or Berlin tomorrow, we expect to read all about it in the next morning's papers. Today in Iowa, great presses turn out hundreds of thousands of copies for us each morning.

For the earliest settlers there were no newspapers at all. Neither were there telegraph or telephone lines in pioneer Iowa. No railroad reached our borders. News traveled slowlly.

The first newspaper in the state was the Dubuque Visitor, published, as its date line said, at Dubuque Lead Mines, Wisconsin Territory, May 11, 1836, with John King the owner and the editor. Andrew Keesecker and William Carey Jones were his assistants. The press that Mr. King used, he bought in Ohio. Later it was sold to a man who started a paper in Wisconsin. From there it went to St. Paul, where it is said to have been used to print the first newspaper in Minnesota. From St. Paul it is supposed to have been taken to a place near Sioux Falls, S.D., to be used by the Dacotah Democrat, the first paper to be published in the unorganized 'Dacotah Territory.' Thus this old press printed the first newspapers in the Iowa Territory, the Minnesota Territory, and the Dakota Territory.

News That Was Months Old

By 1840 there were a number of weekly papers in Iowa. Most of them were of four pages. They had no headlines, no cartoons, or comics, no large advertisements, and most of their space was taken up with local news. What little news the papers carried from eastern states or foreign countries was weeks and often months late.

Some of these papers had very long names. The Iowa Sun and the Davenport and Rock Island News was the first paper printed in Davenport. Often these early papers called each other names. Two papers in Iowa City called each other "Locofoca Rag" and "Whiggery Hamburg."

Many papers were started in pioneer times, 14 papers beginning in Dubuque between 1836 ad 1860. Some of these lasted less than two years. We can name but a few of the early papers.

The second newspaper to make its appearance in Iowa was the Western Adventurer, published by Dr. Galland at Montrose, Ia. The first issue was dated June 28, 1837. It failed to pay out and was sold to James G. Edwards, who moved it to Fort Madison in 1838 and published the Fort Madison Patriot.

Black Hawk Watched

Black Hawk and his sons watched the printing of the first paper at Fort Madison. They thought the press a wonderful affair. Indians often visited the Fort Madison printing office. They liked to watch the press work.

The third paper in Iowa was the Wisconsin Territorial Gazette and Burlington Advertiser. It was moved to Burlington from Belmont, Wis., in 1837. The first newspaper to be published in Des Moines was the Star, which started publication in 1849. The first regular daily newspaper to be published in Des Moines was The State Register which began daily publication on Jan. 12, 1862.

Iowa's Historians

Probably the first daily in Iowa was the Dubuque Tribune, which began daily publication on March 26, 1851. It lasted but a short while. The Daily Miners Express, which started in Dubuque on Aug. 19, 1851, was more successful.

The art of writing first found expression in Iowa through the newspapers. Here, in small weekly papers, many writers saw their first works appear. Many of these early writers became Iowa's historians.

Theodore S. Parvin, private secretary to Governor Lucas in 1838-39, wrote interesting stories of several men of pioneer Iowa. William Salter, a minister of the Iowa Band, wrote a long list of articles, besides several books on Iowa history. Benjamin F. Gue, who served in the Iowa legislature, wrote a four volume history of Iowa. Samual H. M. Byers, Iowa's outstanding poet, wrote Iowa in War Times, one of the best books on Iowa's part in the Civil war.

Iowa's Novelists

Ex-Congressman Cyrenus Cole, formerly an editor at Cedar Rapids, is one of the later historians who has written a book, A History of the People of Iowa. Charles Aldrich and Harvey Ingham are other editors who have written extensively on topics of Iowa history.

Only a few of Iowa's novelists can be named. Herbert Quick was formerly editor of an Iowa farm paper. Hamlin Garland wrote A Son of the Middle Border, Ellis Parker Butler, Alice French (Octave Thanet), Susan Glaspell, Bess Streeter Aldrich, and Ruth Suckow are other novelists to whom Iowa lays claim.

Iowa's newspapers are all on a high plane. Some of her weekly papers have gained national fame for their excellence. The Des Moines Register and the Des Moines Tribune are the largest daily newspapers in Iowa and the fourth largest combined daily west of the Mississippi river.

Iowa's authors have set a worthy mark for future Iowa writers to aim at. Many of their works are truly famous.