Anna Zenger
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Anna Catharina Zenger (–1751) was an American publisher and the first woman to publish a
newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...
in America. Her family having fled the
Pfalz Pfalz, Pfälzer, or Pfälzisch are German words referring to Palatinate (disambiguation), Palatinate. They may refer to: Places *Pfalz, the Palatinate (region) of Germany **Nordpfalz, the North Palatinate **Vorderpfalz, the Anterior Palatinat ...
region of
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
, she was born Anna Catharina Maul around 1704, possibly in
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
or in the
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
. Her family moved through
Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...
to
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
and on to
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
in 1710, where she grew up, eventually marrying a member of the same refugee group,
John Peter Zenger John Peter Zenger (October 26, 1697 – July 28, 1746) was a German printer and journalist in New York City. Zenger printed ''The New York Weekly Journal''. He was accused of Defamation, libel in 1734 by William Cosby, the royal governor of Pro ...
. The couple married on 11 September 1722 in
Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
's
Dutch Reformed Church The Dutch Reformed Church (, , abbreviated NHK ) was the largest Christian denomination in the Netherlands from the onset of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century until 1930. It was the traditional denomination of the Dutch royal famil ...
. Her husband had worked for New York printer William Bradford, advancing from an indentured servant, to a journeyman, and eventually becoming Bradford's partner in 1725. After publishing an unremarkable Dutch language book about the reformed church, the partnership dissolved and John established his own printing business. John specialized in Dutch religious and academic texts until, in 1732, he was caught up in a political scandal. That year
William Cosby Brigadier-General William Cosby (1690 – 10 March 1736) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of New York from 1732 to 1736. During his short tenure as governor, Cosby was portrayed as one of the mos ...
became the colony's new governor, and, in responsive to his perceived capriciousness, an opposition party was formed and Zenger was hired to publish their tracts and pamphlets. As their conflict with the governor intensified, the opposition founded a newspaper, the ''New-York Weekly Journal'', with John Zenger as the editor, publisher and printer. (In actuality, Zenger was only responsible for printing; the influential lawyer James Alexander was responsible for the paper's tone and content.) In 1734, Cosby retaliated against the paper, ordering four issues to be burned in public, and John Zenger was arrested for
seditious libel Seditious libel is a criminal offence under common law of printing written material with seditious purposethat is, the purpose of bringing contempt upon a political authority. It remains an offence in Canada but has been abolished in England and ...
. John Zenger, unable to meet
bail Bail is a set of pre-trial restrictions that are imposed on a suspect to ensure that they will not hamper the judicial process. Court bail may be offered to secure the conditional release of a defendant with the promise to appear in court when ...
requirements, ultimately spent more than eight months imprisoned, and during this time Anna Catharina took over his publishing duties. Her level of control over the newspaper during this time is unclear. She is known to have regularly visited her husband in jail and took instructions from him regarding the publication. Author
Kent Cooper Kent Cooper (March 22, 1880 – January 31, 1965) served with the Associated Press (AP) for 41 years, last as executive director. Background Kent Cooper was born on March 22, 1880, in Columbus, Indiana; his father was Democratic U.S. Congressma ...
proposed that, during John's imprisonment, Anna Catharina had editorial control and wrote articles for the paper, but other historians believe that the paper's content was provided by well-educated opposition members. On John's release in 1735, he resumed control of the paper and printing business. Eleven years later, after her husband's death, Anna Catharina once again took responsibility for running both operations. She continued to publish the paper weekly, including a modest section of advertisements, along with other publications, including an annual almanac, and the printing shop also sold books and stationery. In 1748 she gave control of the printing business to her stepson, John Zenger, Jr., and moved to a rural area outside of the city where she opened a small bookstore. She died in 1751.


Media depictions

In 1946
Kent Cooper Kent Cooper (March 22, 1880 – January 31, 1965) served with the Associated Press (AP) for 41 years, last as executive director. Background Kent Cooper was born on March 22, 1880, in Columbus, Indiana; his father was Democratic U.S. Congressma ...
published a "quasi-biographical novel" based on Zenger's life, titled ''Anna Zenger: Mother of Freedom'', portraying Zenger as a "prime mover in America's first successful struggle for a free press."


See also

*
List of women printers and publishers before 1800 This list of women printers and publishers before 1800 includes women active as printers or publishers prior to the 19th century. Before the printing press was invented, books were made from pages written by scribes, and it could take up to a ye ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zenger, Anna Catharina 1700s births 1751 deaths 18th-century American newspaper publishers (people) 18th-century printers 18th-century American publishers (people) Women printers Journalists from New York City 18th-century American businesswomen 18th-century American businesspeople Printers from the Thirteen Colonies 18th-century American journalists 18th-century American women journalists