Top of page

Notice
Welcome to the upgraded Chronicling America site. Please visit the Guide for Researchers for information on using the site.
Chronicling America
National Endowment for the Humanities

Newspaper The Evening Telegram (Camden, N.J.) 1886-1888

View All Front Pages

About The Evening Telegram (Camden, N.J.) 1886-1888

The Evening Telegram was first published on February 24, 1886 in Camden by James M. Fitzgerald and Alvah M. Smith as a Democratic party newspaper. It was a four-page daily newspaper of six columns and the first paper in New Jersey to receive telegraphic news over its own wire. As soon as the paper was started, a direct wire was run to Cooper’s Point, Camden, where it was connected with Baltimore and Ohio cables, making the paper a member of the United Press syndicate. On September 16, 1886, Fitzgerald purchased a one-third interest in the newspaper from Smith, who retired. Fitzgerald published the newspaper until June 13, 1887, when John H. Fort hastily purchased it, as Fitzgerald was on trial for embezzlement in his role as a Camden county freeholder.

John H. Fort was born on Staten Island, New York in 1851 and educated at schools in Lawrenceville, NJ. He studied law with Marmaduke B. Taylor in Camden and was admitted to the bar as an attorney in 1873, and as counselor in 1881. Fort was an experienced newspaper editor, having started newspapers in both Camden and Philadelphia, in addition to being a lawyer. In a June 13, 1887 column, he vowed to retain the newspaper as a voice of the Democratic Party, “The course of this journal will be much the same as heretofore. It will import the National and State Administrations, and favor every idea that will advance the intelligent interests of the Democratic party. We shall be aggressive, where it is necessary, and in no event shall these columns ring with an uncertain sound. Conservatism holds no place in the stirring events of these years of the closing nineteenth century. Successful newspapers, like successful men, are of one work. The Telegram will be found in the front line and never bringing up the rear.

In the 1880s, Camden was a thriving industrial city. The area was first settled in 1681 by William Cooper, who ran a ferry between the region (then known as Cooper’s Ferries) and Philadelphia, but it was not until the Camden and Amboy Railroad selected Camden as its terminus in 1834 that the city began to grow. After the Civil War, the growth of Camden accelerated as immigrants and industry were attracted to the region. The population grew from 3,371 in 1840 to 41,659 in 1880 and 63,000 in 1887. This growth allowed the city to support three daily newspapers by 1887: two were Republican, The Camden Daily Post and the Camden County Courier (representing competing factions of the Republican party), with the Evening Telegram advocating Democratic interests.

The Evening Telegram was purchased from John H. Fort by Thomas A. Hamilton and Upton S. Jeffreys, both experienced Camden newspaper publishers, in November 1888.

Provided By: Rutgers University Libraries

About this Newspaper

Title

  • The Evening Telegram (Camden, N.J.) 1886-1888

Dates of Publication

  • 1886-1888

Created / Published

  • Camden, N.J. : John H. Fort

Headings

  • -  Camden (N.J.)--Newspapers
  • -  New Jersey--Camden
  • -  United States--New Jersey--Camden--Camden

Genre

  • Newspapers

Notes

  • -  Daily (except Sun.)
  • -  Began with Feb. 24, 1886 issue; ceased with Dec. 2, 1888 issue.
  • -  Archived issues are available in digital format from the Library of Congress Chronicling America online collection.
  • -  Description based on: Vol. 3, no. 19 (Sept. 14, 1887).
  • -  Camden daily telegram (DLC)sn 87068202 (OCoLC)16893584

Medium

  • volumes : illustrations (chiefly advertisements)

Call Number/Physical Location

  • Newspaper

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • sn86077146

OCLC Number

  • 14202513

ISSN Number

  • 2994-9564

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.

The NEH awardee responsible for producing each digital object is presented in the Chronicling America page display, below the page image – e.g. Image produced by the Library of Congress. For more information on current NDNP awardees, see https://www.loc.gov/ndnp/listawardees.html.

For more information on Library of Congress policies and disclaimers regarding rights and reproductions, see https://www.loc.gov/homepage/legal.html

Cite This Item

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

Chicago citation style:

The Evening Telegram Camden, N.J. -1888. (Camden, NJ), Jan. 1 1886. https://www.loc.gov/item/sn86077146/.

APA citation style:

(1886, January 1) The Evening Telegram Camden, N.J. -1888. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/sn86077146/.

MLA citation style:

The Evening Telegram Camden, N.J. -1888. (Camden, NJ) 1 Jan. 1886. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/sn86077146/.