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Creator
Raymond, Henry J. (Henry Jarvis), 1820-1869
Call number
MssCol 2532
Physical description
.73 linear feet (2 boxes)
Preferred Citation

Henry J. Raymond papers, Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library

Repository
Manuscripts and Archives Division
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.

Henry J. Raymond was a New York politician and the first editor of the New York Times. He founded the New-York Daily Times in 1851 with George Jones and Edward B. Wesley. The collection consists of correspondence, legal documents, articles, and speeches. The correspondence consists mainly of letters written to Henry J. Raymond from notable people of the time regarding politics.

Biographical/historical information

Henry J. Raymond was a New York politician and the first editor of the New York Times. He founded the New-York Daily Times in 1851 with George Jones .

Between 1841 and 1851, Raymond worked for various newspapers, including Horace Greeley's New York Tribune and James Watson Webb's Courier and Enquirer, as a journalist and associate editor. He had known George Jones since their time at the Tribune and the two had often discussed the possibility of starting a newspaper themselves. In 1851 Raymond convinced Jones and Wesley to become his partners and publish a new paper that would report the news in an neutral manner. The Times was to fall between the sensationalism of James Gordon Bennett's New York Herald and the idealism of Greeley's Tribune. Raymond was the editor, Jones the publisher, and Wesley the business manager.

During this time Raymond was also a member of New York's Whig and Republican parties and active in state and national politics. Throughout his political career, he served as an assemblyman, speaker of the assembly, lieutenant governor of New York, and a member of the United States House of Representatives. He died in 1869.

Henry Jarvis Raymond (1820-1869), an American journalist and politician, was the first editor of the New York Times. He worked for various New York City papers before founding the New York Daily Times (later the New York Times) in 1851 with George E. Jones and Edward B. Wesley. Raymond's political career started when he was elected to the New York State Assembly in 1849. He was elected speaker of the Assembly in 1851, lieutenant-governor of New York in 1854, and member of Congress in 1864. His books included works about Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War.

Sources

Brown, Francis, Raymond of the Times. New York : W. W. Norton & Company,1951.

Davis, Elmer, History of the New York Times, 1851-1921. 1921. Reprint, St. Clair Shores, Mich. : Scholarly Press, 1971.

Dictionary of American Biography, s.v. "Raymond, Henry Jarvis."

Scope and arrangement

The collection consists of correspondence, legal documents, articles, and speeches. The correspondence consists chiefly of letters written to Henry J. Raymond from notable people of the time regarding politics. The legal documents include copies of the original articles of incorporation of the New-York Daily Times. The articles and speeches include Raymond's letters to the Times regarding the situation in Italy in 1859 and an address delivered at the Republican National Convention in 1860.

The Henry J. Raymond papers are arranged in three series:

  • Series I. Correspondence
    1840-1897, n.d.

    The majority of the correspondence consists of letters written to Henry J. Raymond from politicians, authors, military officers, and other prominent members of society. Most of the letters relate to Raymond's political career, but there are some concerning articles written in the New-York Daily Times. Many people wrote to Raymond thanking him for positive mentions in the Times and others wrote in with criticism and demands for retractions.

  • Series II. Articles and addresses
    1848, 1859, 1866, n.d.

    This series contains letters written by Raymond for the New-York Daily Times, notes for articles, and addresses he presented during his political career. The letters describe the situation in Italy during 1859. The addresses include Raymond's speech from the Republican National Convention in 1866.

  • Series III. Miscellaneous Items
    1852, 1855, 1864, 1867-1869, 1886, 1922, 1951, n.d.

    This series contains autographs and an engraving of Raymond, the copies of the original articles of association of the New-York Daily Times, and other legal documents.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Gift of Mrs. Marguerite M. Holbrook, August 1951.

Processing information

Compiled by Megan O'Shea.

Related Material

George Jones papers. New York Public Library.

Using the collection

Location

Manuscripts and Archives Division
Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street, New York, NY 10018-2788
Brooke Russell Astor Reading Room, Third Floor, Room 328