The ''Halifax Gazette'' was Canada's first newspaper, established on March 23, 1752, in

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...

. It was published weekly by John Bushell, who had been carrying out a project that had been initiated by his partner Bartholomew Green, Jr. The newspaper had been entirely dependent on the government for funding. Richard Bulkeley became the editor in 1758. After Bushell, Anthony Henry became the publisher, followed by John Howe.

Founding

Halifax was established as a city in 1749, three years before the newspaper was published, with a population of 4,000 residents. Because of the developing city and the low population, there was a shortage of local news or community news, and advertisements occupied a large portion of the newspaper. It contained news excerpts from the newspapers of Britain, Europe, and New England. The first issue of the ''Halifax Gazette'' contained an article about the demise of John Goreham, a military officer and businessman who died in London of

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...

Competition

The ''Halifax Gazette'' dealt with tough competition from Boston and New York newspapers for breaking news. The publishers plotted and planned in advance to beat each other in printing the headlines first. In the year of 1849, there was a group of six New York publishers who comprised the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

. This agency worked together to accumulate and spread breaking international news. In this process, Halifax played an integral role; however, it was hardly mentioned.

''Nova Scotia Royal Gazette''

''The Gazette'' published as a newspaper until 1867, three days after

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

was established, when it became the ''Nova Scotia Royal Gazette'', the official publication of laws and legislation for the

government of Nova Scotia The Government of Nova Scotia (, ) is the government of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia. The powers and structure of the province are set out in the Constitution Act, 1867. In modern Canadian use, the term ...

. In 1977, Part II of the ''Royal Gazette'' was introduced to publish provincial regulations and was reunited with Part I to form the current ''Gazette''. The ''Gazette'' is managed by the Office of the Registrar of Regulations in the Nova Scotia Department of Justice.

Return of the first issue to Canada

The only remaining copy of the first issue of ''Halifax Gazette'' was long owned by the

Massachusetts Historical Society The Massachusetts Historical Society (MHS) is a major historical archive specializing in early American, Massachusetts, and New England history. The Massachusetts Historical Society was established in 1791 and is located at 1154 Boylston Street ...

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. It was acquired in 2002 by the

Library and Archives Canada Library and Archives Canada (LAC; ) is the federal institution tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is the 16th largest library in the world. T ...

, and briefly placed on display back in Halifax before being permanently placed in the archives at Ottawa.

References

External links

Royal Gazette - A Brief History, Government of Nova Scotia

Dean Jobb. Halifax Gazette. Master's Thesis. St. Mary's University. 2008
{{DEFAULTSORT:Halifax Gazette Defunct newspapers published in Nova Scotia Defunct weekly newspapers Newspapers published in Halifax, Nova Scotia Government gazettes Publications established in 1752 1752 establishments in the British Empire Weekly newspapers published in Nova Scotia 1752 in Nova Scotia 1752 establishments in North America