__NOTOC__ The ''Commercial Journal'' was a mid-19th century newspaper in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Ma ...

, United States.

Beginnings

The paper was founded as the ''Spirit of the Age'' by

J. Heron Foster James Heron Foster (18 April 1822 – 21 April 1868) was a journalist and politician of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was the founding editor of three Pittsburgh newspapers, most notably the '' Pittsburgh Dispatch''. Biography Born in Greensburg, ...

, J. McMillin and J. B. Kennedy on 19 April 1843, with Foster as editor. Both daily and weekly editions were published. R. White Middleton bought the young paper in mid-1844 and edited it for less than a year until "sickness, poverty and oppression" drove him to quit. Foster retook the editorship for a short time before moving on and founding the ''

Pittsburgh Dispatch The ''Pittsburgh Dispatch'' was a leading newspaper in Pittsburgh, operating from 1846 to 1923. After being enlarged by publisher Daniel O'Neill it was reportedly one of the largest and most prosperous newspapers in the United States. From 1880 ...

''.

Riddle era

In the middle of 1845, the daily title changed under new ownership to ''Daily Commercial Journal and Spirit of the Age'', in: the latter half of which was eventually dropped. The name change signified that the paper would cater more than before to the interests of "the Manufacturer, the Farmer, and Merchant." New editor

Robert M. Riddle Robert M. Riddle (August 17, 1812 – December 18, 1858) was a newspaperman, postmaster and politician who served as Mayor of Pittsburgh from 1853 to 1854. Robert M. Riddle was born in 1812, the son of Judge James Riddle. He entered the mer ...

, formerly postmaster of Pittsburgh and editor of the ''Advocate'', promised to replace the paper's previous political neutrality with a "thorough going

Whig Whig or Whigs may refer to: Parties and factions In the British Isles * Whigs (British political party), one of two political parties in England, Great Britain, Ireland, and later the United Kingdom, from the 17th to 19th centuries ** Whiggism ...

" slant in accordance with his own party affiliation. In 1853 Riddle was elected with Whig backing as

mayor of Pittsburgh The mayor of Pittsburgh is the chief executive of the government of the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, as stipulated by the Charter of the City of Pittsburgh. This article is a listing of past (and present) mayors of Pittsburgh. ...

, which post he filled a single one-year term, at the same time continuing to manage the newspaper. As the Whig Party fell apart soon afterward, Riddle and the ''Journal'' shifted support to the ephemeral American Party before aligning with the up-and-coming

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or again ...

organization, all the while maintaining an anti-slavery, pro-

Northern Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ...

stance.

Pittsburgh newspaper consolidation timeline

The

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...

weekly '' Saturday Visiter'', founded by editor

Jane Swisshelm Jane Grey Cannon Swisshelm (December 6, 1815 – July 22, 1884) was an American Radical Republican journalist, publisher, abolitionist, and women's rights advocate. She was one of America's first female journalists hired by Horace Greeley at ...

in 1847, was published from the ''Commercial Journal'' office. In 1854 it merged into the ''Journals weekly edition, at the time called ''Family Journal'', to form the ''Family Journal and Saturday Visiter''. Swisshelm edited a "Visiter Department" within the merged edition. From this platform she promoted the causes of anti-slavery,

temperance Temperance may refer to: Moderation *Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed *Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion Culture * Temperance (group), Canadian dan ...

, and

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countr ...

. Riddle conducted the ''Journal'' until 1858, when failing health prompted him to sell his interest to Thomas J. Bigham, who assumed editorial charge. Bigham was an abolitionist Republican who purportedly used

his house ''His House'' is a 2020 horror thriller film written and directed by Remi Weekes from a story by Felicity Evans and Toby Venables. It stars Wunmi Mosaku, Sope Dirisu and Matt Smith. The film tells the story of a refugee couple from South Sudan, s ...

as a refuge on the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. ...

Consolidation

The ''Commercial Journal'' merged into Pittsburgh's oldest paper, the ''

Gazette A gazette is an official journal, a newspaper of record, or simply a newspaper. In English and French speaking countries, newspaper publishers have applied the name ''Gazette'' since the 17th century; today, numerous weekly and daily newspaper ...

'', at the dawn of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polic ...

in 1861. The consequently titled ''Daily Pittsburgh Gazette and Commercial Journal'' explained that "Both papers have long advocated essentially the same political principles and labored in the same cause, so that their separate publication was not essential to any public or political interest, while to advertisers the union will be one of great advantage."

References

{{Reflist Defunct newspapers published in Pittsburgh Defunct daily newspapers Publications established in 1843 Publications disestablished in 1861 1843 establishments in Pennsylvania 1861 disestablishments in Pennsylvania