About Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864
Davenport, Iowa (1859-1864)

Daily Iowa State Democrat, Daily Democrat and News, and Daily Davenport Democrat.

The Daily Iowa State Democrat was a continuation of the Democratic Banner, a weekly newspaper established in Davenport in September 1848 by Alexander Montgomery. In January 1849, Montgomery left Iowa for California and sold the paper to H. Price, M.D. Westlake, R.M. Prettyman, and H. Leonard. R. Smitham was hired as the Banner's new editor and publisher. By July 1849, the paper was struggling financially, and Smitham relocated the business from its offices to his barn. For the next few months, the Banner did not follow a regular publishing schedule. Rather, Smitham released new issues as often as resources allowed before suspending publication altogether in the fall of 1849. The Banner got a new start when T.D. Eagal took over as publisher in December 1849. Eagal continued publishing the paper, with various partners, until 1855, when he decided to sell the business.

The Democratic Party in Davenport was eager to ensure that the city would still have a newspaper that represented their interests, so Henry F. Mitchell was charged with finding someone to purchase the former Banner office and revive the paper. The Democratic Party was offering a $1,000 bonus, as well as subscription and advertising support, to ensure the success of the new business. Mitchell traveled to Peoria, Illinois, where he met James T. Hildreth, D.N. Richardson, and George R. West, all of whom were associated with the Peoria Morning News. Enticed by the bonus, Hildreth put forth the money to purchase the Banner office, after selling some property in Wisconsin to cover the cost, and he partnered with Richardson and West in this new venture in Davenport.

One condition of the bonus was that the newspaper be published daily, rather than weekly as the Banner had been. Richardson, who had assumed the editorship, changed the paper's title to the Daily Iowa State Democrat, and published the first issue on October 15, 1855. Hildreth, Richardson, and West continued their partnership until Hildreth's death on September 11, 1857. Richardson and West continued to publish until October 1859, when the Daily Iowa State Democrat merged with the Daily Morning News and became the Daily Democrat and News. The new paper was owned one half by Richardson & West, three-sixteenths by Thomas McGuire, and five-sixteenths by Alonzo W. Church. The firm was called McGuire, Richardson & Co. In 1863, Richardson and his brother, J.J. Richardson, took ownership of the paper. The following year, the title of the paper changed to the Daily Davenport Democrat.

The Richardson brothers continued publishing the Democrat until 1887, when it merged with the Davenport Gazette to form the Democrat-Gazette, which was published in both morning and evening editions. The Evening Democrat-Gazette became the Davenport Democrat-Gazette on March 9, 1888, and it ceased publication on January 1, 1890. The Morning Democrat-Gazette became the Morning Democrat in January 1890, and it ceased publication in March 1904.

Provided by: State Historical Society of Iowa