About The Davenport daily gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1869
Davenport, Iowa (1856-1869)

Davenport Gazette, Daily Davenport Gazette, and Davenport Daily Gazette

The first issue of the Davenport Gazette was published on August 26, 1841. Alfred Sanders founded the paper and served as editor, and Levi Davis was the printer. In 1844, Davis purchased a one-third interest in the Gazette, and Sanders and Davis continued to publish the paper together for about 13 years.

On September 3, 1853, a tri-weekly edition of the Gazette was begun, followed just over a year later, by a daily edition, in response to growing demand from both readers and advertisers. The first daily edition was issued on October 16, 1854. The Gazette had been printed on a hand press since its beginning, but as the paper was issued more frequently and circulation increased, Sanders and Davis needed a more efficient solution. So in 1855, the Gazette office was outfitted with a steam powered printing press, becoming the first paper in the state to publish in this manner.

In 1857, Davis left the paper and Sanders partnered with his brother. In 1862, Sanders became the sole owner and editor until September of that year, when he sold the Gazette to Edward Russell, James McCosh, Levi Davis, and Frederick Koops. The four new owners formed The Gazette Company, and Edward Russell took on the role of editor.

Russell became well-known for his abolitionist views which he ardently expressed in the Gazette. He soon found that publishing an anti-slavery newspaper in a river town was a challenging endeavor. Most tradespeople conducting business along the Mississippi River sided with the south, and some citizens believed the Gazette was harming local businesses by discouraging southern trade. Russell and his family lived only three blocks from the Gazette office, and groups of steamboat crews and other southern sympathizers began to gather outside his home, pound on the doors and windows, and shout at him from the street. Russell refused to sacrifice his morals or be deterred from his work, so he continued to write and publish throughout the Civil War.

In 1871, Russell resigned the editorship and sold his interest in the Gazette to Waldo M. Potter. Four years later, Russell repurchased his interest from Potter and resumed his position as editor. The paper changed hands many times in the following years, ultimately merging with the Daily Davenport Democrat in 1887 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 ceased publication in March 1904.

Provided by: State Historical Society of Iowa