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Chronicling America
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Newspaper The Daily Union (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857

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About The Daily Union (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857

On May 1, 1845, Thomas Ritchie published the first issue of the Daily Union, which would become, along with the Intelligencer, a major Washington, D.C. newspaper. Ritchie was one of the most influential journalists of his time. On the cover of the Daily Union‘s second issue, he explained to readers his purchase of the Daily Globe, which preceded the Daily Union, published by Francis Blair and his partner, John C. Rives. Ritchie stated that while he and his staff lacked experience in newspaper editing, they were committed to promote “liberty, the Union of the United States, and the Constitution.” In the Daily Union‘s first editorial, Ritchie wrote a short history of the United States, along with its economic policies, ranging from the issues of paper currency, to the national bank of the country that, by 1845, was defunct. This fact encouraged Ritchie, who held the bank responsible for the Panic of 1837 and the ensuing economic depression.

As a proponent of the Democratic Party and its then-leader President James K. Polk, the paper took repeated swipes at the Whig Party, often focusing on its economic policies related to the national bank. Ritchie also criticized the Whigs for promoting big government, while promoting the country’s private institutions which purportedly offered individuals the opportunity to work.

Over ensuing years, the Union and the Intelligencer traded as Washington’s official paper, depending on which political party was in control. Under the leadership of William A. Harris, the newspaper underwent a title change, becoming the Washington Union in 1857, and it ceased publication with the issue of April 10, 1859.

Provided By: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

About this Newspaper

Title

  • The Daily Union (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857

Dates of Publication

  • 1845-1857

Created / Published

  • Washington [D.C.] : Thomas Ritchie & John P. Heiss, 1845-1857.

Headings

  • -  Washington (D.C.)--Newspapers
  • -  Washington (D.C.)
  • -  United States--District of Columbia--Washington

Genre

  • Newspapers

Notes

  • -  Daily (except Sunday and Monday), Feb. 19, 1856-1857
  • -  Vol. 1, no. 1 (May 1, 1845)-v. 6, no. 310 (Apr. 15, 1857).
  • -  Published morning and evening editions on Saturday, Feb. 19, 1856-1857.
  • -  Publisher varies: Thomas Ritchie, Nov. 5, 1848-May 31, 1849 ; Thomas Ritchie & Edmund Burke, June 1, 1849-Apr. 15, 1851 ; A.J. Donelson and Robert Armstrong, Apr. 16, 1851-May 12, 1852 ; Robert Armstrong, May 13, 1852-Feb. 28, 1854 ; A.O.P. Nicholson, Mar. 1, 1854-Dec. 4, 1855 ; A.O.P. Nicholson & J.W. Forney, Dec. 5, 1855-Mar. 27, 1856 ; A.O.P. Nicholson, Mar. 28, 1856-Mar. 5, 1857 ; John Appleton, Mar. 6, 1857-
  • -  Numbering is irregular.
  • -  Volume numbering changed from v. 6 to v. 1 on Apr. 16, 1851, when the paper was sold to Andrew J. Donelson by Thomas Ritchie; on Apr. 16, 1857 original volume numbering resumed.
  • -  Also issued on microfilm from the Library of Congress, Photoduplication Service.
  • -  Archived issues are available in digital format from the Library of Congress Chronicling America online collection.
  • -  Campaign eds.: Campaign (Washington, D.C. : 1848), 1848-1849, and: Campaign (Washington, D.C. : 1852), 1852-1853.
  • -  Washington union (Washington, D.C. : 1857 : Daily) 2471-6618 (DLC)sn 82006534 (OCoLC)8776746

Medium

  • volumes

Call Number/Physical Location

  • Newspaper
  • AN

Library of Congress Control Number

  • sn82003410

OCLC Number

  • 8770145

ISSN Number

  • 2381-0378

Preceding Titles

Succeeding Titles

Additional Metadata Formats

Availability

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress believes that the newspapers in Chronicling America are in the public domain or have no known copyright restrictions. Newspapers published in the United States more than 95 years ago are in the public domain in their entirety. Any newspapers in Chronicling America that were published less than 95 years ago are also believed to be in the public domain, but may contain some copyrighted third party materials. Researchers using newspapers published less than 95 years ago should be alert for modern content (for example, registered and renewed for copyright and published with notice) that may be copyrighted. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item.

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

The Daily Union Washington D.C. 1845 to 1857. (Washington, DC), Jan. 1 1845. https://www.loc.gov/item/sn82003410/.

APA citation style:

(1845, January 1) The Daily Union Washington D.C. 1845 to 1857. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/sn82003410/.

MLA citation style:

The Daily Union Washington D.C. 1845 to 1857. (Washington, DC) 1 Jan. 1845. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/sn82003410/.