Boston Evening Traveller

History

Founding

The Boston Evening Traveller was launched on April 1, 1845, by Reverend George Punchard and Deacon Ferdinand Andrews. The pair served as co-editors and used the paper to advocate for the temperance movement. In June 1845, Roland Worthington, a former member of the ''Boston Daily Advertiser'''s business department, joined the paper as publisher.

Worthington years

During Worthington's tenure as publisher, the Evening Traveller became the first Boston paper to employ newspaper hawkers to sell papers in the streets rather than rely solely on subscriptions; and was the first paper in Boston to use headline posters to advertise papers. Compared to other papers in Boston in the 1840s, the Traveller was notable for its significantly lower retail price. The Evening Travellers first office was located at 47 Court Street. It later relocated to the Old State House before moving into its own building at 31 State Street. Under Worthington's leadership, the paper supported the views of the Free Soil Party and the later Republican Party. The paper's shift to the Republican Party led to the departure of Ferdinand Andrews, who supported Daniel Webster and the Cotton Whigs. Andrews was replaced as managing editor by twenty-two year old Manton Marble. In 1857, Samuel Bowles joined the paper. Marble and Bowles were unable to work together and Marble left for New York City. Bowles took over as managing editor on April 13, 1857, and soon thereafter merged the Evening Traveller with the Boston Atlas, the Boston Bee, and the Independent Chronicle. The merger was a failure and placed the paper in debt. Bowles left the Evening Traveler without notice on August 10, 1857, and returned to Springfield, Massachusetts. Bowles was succeeded by Joseph B. Morss. In 1859 Morss was succeeded by Reuben Crooke. As of 1878, one guide described the Evening Traveller as "the largest four-page evening paper in New England: five editions daily; the semi-weekly and weekly of each week contains sermons of Henry Ward Beecher; 'Review of the Week;' market and shipping reports; latest news and choice reading, prepared expressly for the family fireside." In 1879, reporter James W. Clarke became the paper's managing editor. He remained with the Evening Traveller until 1885, when he accepted the position of chief of editorial writers for The Boston Globe. From 1885 to 1891, W. F. Whitcher served as editor in chief. Whitcher was succeeded by Albert Edward Winship. Roland Worthington sold the paper in June 1891. The new owners replaced Winship as editor, bringing back Reuben Crooke.

Later years

In the 1900s, the paper was headquartered at 76 Summer Street (c. 1902–1912). In 1912 the Herald bought the Traveler and merged the papers into the Boston Traveler and Evening Herald, now published from the* Herald'''s facility at 171 Tremont Street. From 1914 to 1918, future Territory of Alaska Governor and U.S. Senator Ernest Gruening served as the paper's managing editor. In 1928, the new owners moved the paper away from Republican politics by dropping the editorial page and replacing it with a "People's Forum". The morning Herald and the evening Traveler were published until 1967, when, due to declining circulation, they were combined into a morning newspaper known as the Herald-Traveler.

Variant titles

;Dailies

• Daily Evening Traveller, 1845–1885
• Boston Evening Traveller, 1885–1889
• Boston Daily Traveller, c. 1856–1885, 1889–1894
• Boston Traveler, 1894–1912, 1914–1967
• Boston Traveler and Evening Herald, 1912–1914

;Non-dailies

• American Traveller (semiweekly and weekly editions), c. 1845–1885
• American Semi-Weekly Traveller, 1851–1854
• Boston Traveller (semiweekly edition), c. 1855–1885
• American Weekly Traveller, c. 1851–1855

References

Images

Image:1856 TravelerBuildings BostonAlmanac.png|Traveller building, State Street, 1850s Image:1886 Traveller building StateSt Boston.png|Traveller building, near Old State House, ca.1880s Image:Roland Worthington USA 1817 1898.png|Portrait of Roland Worthington, publisher Image:1902 Boston Traveler building SummerStreet.png|Traveler building, Summer Street, 1902 Image:1904 SummerSt Boston by DetroitPublishingCo detail 24.jpg|Summer Street, 1904 Image:1918 BostonTraveler 11Nov.png|Boston Traveler, 1918

References

1. (1879). "Biographical encyclopedia of Massachusetts of the nineteenth century". Metropolitan Publishing and Engraving Co..
2. (1885). "Roland Worthington". The Granite Monthly.
3. Frederic Hudson. (1873). "Journalism in the United States, from 1690-1872". Harper & Brothers.
4. (1912). "Forty of Boston's historic houses". Printed for the State Street Trust Company.
5. (1852). "The Boston directory for the year 1852". George Adams.
6. (1883). "King's handbook of Boston". M. King.
7. (1956). "Crook, an American Family, 1698-1955". University of Wisconsin - Madison.
8. (1878). "Pettingill's newspaper directory". Pettingill & Co..
9. (December 24, 1887). "The Journalist's Camera". The Journalist.
10. (1896). "Men of Progress: One Thousand Biographical Sketches and Portraits of Leaders in Business and Professional Life in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts". New England Magazine.
11. (June 14, 1891). "The Traveller's New Management". Sunday News (Wilkes-Barre).
12. (27 June 1912). "Boston Traveler sold; will be combined with evening edition of the Herald". New York Times.
13. (September 13, 1924). "Gruening With La Follette". Editor and Publisher.
14. (November 4, 1928). "As To Dropping Editorials". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
15. ''The Boston Globe'', Dec 27, 1987
16. Library of Congress. "About Daily Evening Traveller. (Boston, Mass.) 1845-1885". Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers.
17. Library of Congress. "Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers".