 The Boston News-Letter, first issue (See also: Page 2) | |
| Type | Weekly Newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Editor | John Campbell (1704–1722) Bartholomew Green, Jr. (1722–1732) Margaret Green Draper (1774–1776) |
| Founded | April 24, 1704; 321 years ago (1704-04-24) |
| Ceased publication | February 29, 1776; 249 years ago (1776-02-29) |
| Political alignment | British Crown |
| Language | English |
| Headquarters |  Boston, Massachusetts |
The Boston News-Letter, first published on April 24, 1704, is regarded as the first continuously published newspaper in thecolony of Massachusetts. It was heavily subsidized by the British government, with a limited circulation. All copies were approved by the Royal governor before publication.[1] The colonies’ first newspaper wasPublick Occurrences Both Forreign and Domestick, which published its first and only issue on September 25, 1690. TheWeekly Jamaica Courant followed inKingston, Jamaica from 1718.[2] In 1726 theBoston Gazette began publishing, withBartholomew Green, Jr. as printer.
TheNews-Letter’s first editor wasJohn Campbell, a bookseller and postmaster of Boston. Campbell had been actively writing and sending "newsletters" of European occurrences to New England governors for a year or more and thought it would save trouble to print them for all. TheNews-Letter was originally issued weekly as a half sheet, a single page printed on both sides, 8 by 12 inches (200 mm × 300 mm), dated "From Monday, April 17, to Monday, April 24, 1704." The printer wasBartholomew Green.[5]
During its early years, theNews-Letter was filled primarily with news from London journals describing English politics and the details of European wars. As the only newspaper in the colonies at the time, it also reported on the sensational death ofBlackbeard the pirate in hand-to-hand combat in 1718.[6]
In 1707, John Allen took care of printing the paper.[7] In 1722 the editorship passed to Green, who focused more on domestic events. After his death in 1732, his son-in-law John Draper, also a printer, took the paper's helm. He enlarged the paper to four pages and filled it with news from throughout the colonies. He conducted the paper until his death in 1762, at which time his son,Richard Draper, became the editor. Richard died in 1774, and his widow,Margaret Green Draper, published theNews-Letter for the rest of its existence.[5]
In 1768, as the controversies between the American colonies and Britain were mounting, Richard Draper mergedThe Massachusetts Gazette withThe Boston Post-Boy, which began functioning as aTory newspaper that gave voice to the Loyalist views. At this time the royal colonial government directed Draper to include the inscription "Published by Authority" in theGazette's heading.[8]
Richard Draper had been an ardentloyalist and firmly supported Britain during the controversies among the colonies during the 1770s. His widow had shared his feelings, and when the young man she installed as editor, Robert Boyle, showed sympathy with theRevolution, she replaced him withJohn Howe. Howe served as Mrs. Draper's editor until the British evacuated Boston on March 17, 1776, taking John Howe and Margaret Draper with them. With the British withdrawal, theNews-Letter ceased to exist. The British government gave Margaret Draper a life pension.[5]
