National Republican (newspaper)

See also: Newspapers founded in Washington, D.C. during the 18th- and 19th-centuries

National RepublicanType| Daily newspaper (except Sunday)

|

Founder(s)| William J. Murtagh
Publisher| Lewis Clephane & Co.
Editor| Harry Post Godwin
Founded| November 1, 1860 (1860-11-01)
Political alignment| Republican
Language| American English
Ceased publication| June 1, 1888 (1888-06-01)
Headquarters| southwest corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and 13th Street
City| Washington, D.C.
Country| United States
Circulation| 3,000 (as of 1883)[1]
ISSN| 2158-8899
OCLC number| 8791688

* Media of the United States
* List of newspapers

The "Republican" Building was built in 1871 at the southwest corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and 13th Street NW. It was demolished after a fire in 1916.

The National Republican (1860–1888) was an American, English-language daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C.

## History

[edit]

The paper was founded in November 1860 upon the election of Abraham Lincoln as the first United States President from the Republican Party.[2] It was started by newspaperman William J. Murtagh, who had been with the Abolitionist National Era, with investment from Hanscom and Weston, to be a pro-Lincoln administration paper.[3] Though most associated with Murtagh, the paper's additional founders were Lewis Clephane, Martin Buell, and William Blanchard.[4] Clephane later wrote that the paper was started "as a necessity, to represent the Republican Party of the city, and not with any hope of being remunerative."[2]

Murtagh sold to Almon M. Clapp in 1877.[5] Clapp, who had founded the Buffalo Express in 1846, had most recently been Public Printer of the United States. He owned the paper until 1880.[3][6][7] A group headed by Elias W. Fox bought the paper in 1885 for $50,000.[4][8] It was later bought by Stilson Hutchins and merged into The Washington Post in June 1888.[3]

Harry Post Godwin became Chief Editor at the age of 17. He served until 1881.

In 1883, Rowell's American Newspaper Directory listed the paper's estimated circulation as in the range of 3,000.[1]

## Lineage and references

[edit]

* "The National Republican (1860–62)". Chronicling America, Library of Congress. Retrieved February 28, 2020., OCLC 8791688, ISSN 2158-8899
* "Daily National Republican (1862-1866)". Chronicling America, Library of Congress. Retrieved February 28, 2020., OCLC 13879073, ISSN 2158-2831
* "The National Republican (1866-1870)". Chronicling America, Library of Congress. Retrieved February 28, 2020., OCLC 13880324, ISSN 2159-3841
* "Daily National Republican (1870-1872)". Chronicling America, Library of Congress. Retrieved February 28, 2020., OCLC 13888533, ISSN 2158-2858
* "National Republican (1872-1888)". Chronicling America, Library of Congress. Retrieved February 28, 2020., OCLC 13891753, ISSN 2151-4437

## References

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1. ^ a b Rowell, George Presbury (1883). Rowell's American Newspaper Directory. p. 42.
2. ^ a b Clephane, Lewis (1889). Birth of the Republican Party. p. 17.
3. ^ a b c "Funeral of W.J. Murtagh". Washington Times. 28 March 1901.
4. ^ a b "National Republican Summary". Chronicling America. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
5. ^ "National Republican". Library of Congress. October 1, 1877.
6. ^ "National Republican, Mr. A.M. Clapp Stricken". April 6, 1899., Evening Star
7. ^ "Change of Ownership and Management of the National Republican -- Mr. Lynch's New Paper" (PDF). The New York Times. 1 October 1877.
8. ^ Thompson, Robert Ellis; Barker, Wharton (11 April 1885). Authors and Publishers, The American. p. 426.

38°53′43″N 77°01′47″W﻿ / ﻿38.895339°N 77.029790°W﻿ / 38.895339; -77.029790﻿ (Site of the former National Republican building)