David Croly

David Goodman Croly (November 3, 1829 - April 29, 1889) was a journalist^[1] and the father of the progressive writer Herbert Croly, co-founder of The New Republic magazine.

Early Life and Education[edit]

David G. Croly was born at Olovakiltey, Ireland, on November 3, 1829, the son of Patrick and Elizabeth Croly. He came to this country in early life, studied in New York University but was not graduated, and received a special course diploma in 1854. He was a member of Zeta Psi.^[2]

Career[edit]

His life was devoted chiefly to newspaper work and authorship. He was a reporter for "The New York Herald " and " Evening Post " in 1855-58; Editor of "The Daily News," at Rockford, Illinois, in 1859-60; City Editor and Managing Editor of "The New York World" in 1860-72; Managing Editor of "The New York Daily Graphic" in 1872-78. He was one of the founders of the Lotos Club of New York. He was the author of "The Modern Thinker," " Glimpses of the Future," and "The Positivist Catechism."

Marriage[edit]

He was married in 1857 to Jennie Cunningham, daughter of Joseph H. Cunningham, a lady who attained eminence as a writer and journalist under the pen name of "Jennie June."

Ideology[edit]

David Croly was a devoted Comtist, who attempted to popularize the concepts of Positivism.^[3] He was also involved in the creation of a pamphlet Miscegenation: The Theory of the Blending of the Races, Applied to the American White Man and Negro, which turned out to be a hoax.^[4]

Passing[edit]

Mr. Croly died in New York on April 29, 1889.

Works[edit]

• Miscegenation; the theory of the blending of the races, applied to the American white man and Negro, 1863
• Seymour and Blair, their lives and services with an appendix containing a history of reconstruction, 1868
• A positivist primer: being a series of familiar conversations on the religion of humanity, 1876
• Glimpses of the Future: Suggestions as to the Drift of Things, 1888

See also[edit]

• Miscegenation
• Herbert Croly

References[edit]

1. ↑ "The Challenge of Our Time": Woodrow Wilson, Herbert Croly, Randolph Bourne and the Making of Modern America
2. ↑ New York University: Its History, Influence, Equipment and Characteristics, with Biographical Sketches and Portraits of Founders, Benefactors, Officers and Alumni, Volume 2
3. ↑ (2014) Herbert Croly of the New Republic: The Life and Thought of an American Progressive. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 22–24. ISBN 978-0691612690. 
4. ↑ "The race-mixing hoax that dogged Lincoln", CNN, February 18, 2014.