| Type | Daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Owner | McNaughton Newspapers |
| Publisher |
|
| Founded |
|
| Language | English |
| Headquarters | 1250 Texas St.Fairfield, California |
| Country | United States |
| Circulation | Approx. 14,500 (as of 2014)[1] |
| ISSN | 0746-5858 |
| OCLC number | 10133416 |
| Website | dailyrepublic |
TheDaily Republic is a daily newspaper in the town ofFairfield, California. It is owned by McNaughton Newspapers.[2]
TheDaily Republic started out as two newspapers – theSolano County Herald and theSolano Press. TheCounty Herald was first created inBenicia in November 1855. It moved toSuisun City with its first publication there on October 2, 1858, with offices in a building on the south side of the city plaza.[3] TheDaily Republic was the first newspaper in the nation to editorially supportAbraham Lincoln for president. TheSolano Press was created in 1862. Seven years later, the Herald and the Press were consolidated and renamed theSolano Republican.[3]
"The Republican is a fearless defender of the rights of the people, and is a welcome weekly visitor to nearly every house in the upper portion of Solano County," the 1879 History of Solano County stated. During the 1940s, theSolano Republican was housed at 607 Main St., Suisun City. The present home of the Daily Republic at 1250 Texas St. was built in 1940.[3] Within the first year he owned the newspaper, Dean McNaughton increased the publication to five days a week, Monday through Friday, and renamed it theDaily Republic. Today, the newspaper publishes seven days a week.[4]
In September 2020, the newspaper suspended its Thursday and Saturday print editions.[5]
TheDaily Republic had many owners through the beginning of the 20th century until 1919, when David A. Weir bought the newspaper. He owned theSolano Republican for the next 31 years. Weir was born inSterling, Colorado in 1889.[6] After working atThe Denver Post and theChicago Tribune, he published papers inNebraska,Oregon andPorterville before buying theSolano Republican. Weir was also instrumental in establishing the localLions Club,American Legion post 208 and the county's mosquito abatement district. Weir retired from publishing November 1, 1949, and sold theRepublican to J. Clifton Toney.[4] Toney operated the newspaper until 1960, when it was sold to the McNaughton family.
Since the early 1960s, the newspaper has been owned by the McNaughtons, a family with roots in journalism that date back to the 1920s. F.F. McNaughton, grandfather of present-day CEO Foy McNaughton, graduated fromColumbia University's first master's degree program in journalism. He went on to work for aNew York City newspaper. A few years later, he returned to his home state ofIndiana to purchase a small paper inBicknel. After making it a success, he purchased thePekin Daily Times inPekin, Illinois. This became the flagship paper. His son, Dean McNaughton, joined the family business during the late 1940s. Dean McNaughton journeyed toCalifornia in 1960 and purchased theSolano Republican.[7]
In 1965, the McNaughtons purchased theMountain Democrat inPlacerville. In 1967, they boughtThe Davis Enterprise. Foy McNaughton joined the family business in 1973. His first job was in the composing room at theMountain Democrat. Later that year, he moved toThe Davis Enterprisepressroom. For the next six years, he worked in all areas of the publishing business until 1979 when he was named publisher ofThe Davis Enterprise. He assumed his present title of president and CEO of the McNaughton newspapers in 1986. He became publisher of theDaily Republic in 1995, a role in which he serves in as of November, 2017. Foy McNaughton's son, T. Burt McNaughton, was named co-publisher in early 2013. In addition to theDaily Republic, the family publishesThe Davis Enterprise, theMountain Democrat, theWinters Express inEl Dorado Hills,Village Life inCameron Park &Folsom, and theGeorgetown Gazette inGeorgetown, California.[8]