Alfred Edmond Burr was born on March 27, 1815 and descended from Benjamin Burr, who came to the shores of the Connecticut river from Newtown, Massachussets, with the earliest settlers in 1636. Alfred's mother, before her marriage Lucretia Olcott, was also a descendant of the first settlers in Connecticut. The eighth of fourteen children of James Burr, Alfred at the age of twelve began to earn his own living at the printer's trade in the office of the Hartford Courant.
Thus early he showed the independence in opinion evident throughout his life of nearly eighty-five years. Accordingly, in 1839 he turned his attention to the Hartford Weekly Times established in 1817. The Weekly Times had fought for religious toleration under John M. Niles.
On January 1, 1839, Judge Henry A. Mitchell accepted Burr's offer to buy a half interest in the paper on advice of Gideon Welles, a frequent contributor from 1824 until he became a member of President Lincoln's cabinet.
On January 1, 1841, Burr became sole owner of The Weekly Times, and on March 2 the first issue of the Daily Times appeared. From the start Burr took a lively interest in national issues and this led to many antagonisms in the sharp political controversies that raged prior to and during the Civil War.
He made the Daily Times a steadfast democratic newspaper and vigorously opposed the movement to repeal the Missouri Compromise. His influence in Connecticut was shown by the result of the election in 1860, when 16, 493 Democrats voted for Breckinridge whom he had supported, 17, 374 for Stephen A. Douglas and 3, 291 for Bell.
In other New England states the vote for Breckinridge was proportionately much smaller. He did not swerve from his course of opposing the conflict and, in 1864, 42, 285 Connecticut voters supported the policy advocated by the Daily Times or 48. 61 per cent of the total vote. No one at that time or later questioned his motives as other than pure and patriotic.
Another example of his independence was afforded in the three campaigns of William Jennings Bryan for the presidency, opposed in each case by the Daily Times, which repudiated free silver heresies and stood for sound money. Burr's only elective office was as representative in the Connecticut legislature, two terms, in 1853 and 1866.
Alfred Burr's major achievement came in 1841 when Burr became sole owner of The Weekly Times, and published the very first issue of the Daily Times. The circulation of The Daily Times began to raise antagonisms in the sharp political controversies that raged prior to and during the Civil War. Consequently, it led to a bigger promotion of the Democratic party within the state of Connecticut, since Burr advocated Democrats, and greater influence on Connecticut voters, who supported the policy advocated by the Daily Times. It became obvious by the result of the election in 1860, when 16, 493 Democrats voted for Breckinridge whom Burr had supported, 17, 374 for Stephen A. Douglas and 3, 291 for Bell. Burr was in service for sixty-one years, that of the son's sixty years, a total given to the Hartford Daily Times by both of 121 years, a record probably unequaled in newspapers of the United States.
He attended the Congregational church at twenty-four.
At the age of twenty he was foreman of the composing room and at twenty-four he rejected an offer to become part owner of the paper because it was conditional on his joining the Whig party.
He stood high in the state and national councils of the Democratic party, however, and was repeatedly a delegate to national conventions. For many years no Democratic platform was adopted in Connecticut which was not wholly or in part prepared by him. He was a pioneer in shaping the Democratic party's tariff-reform policy so that due allowance should be made for the difference between the wages of American and foreign labor. He refused a seat in President Cleveland's cabinet.
His leadership in local affairs was indicated by his choice as chairman of the commission that built the state capitol, and by his influence in pushing park projects and in enlarging Hartford's water supply and school facilities.
He believed that the war might have been avoided by a spirit of conciliation and adherence to the Constitution.
In appearance he was tall and spare, and he often walked from his home to the office carrying his editorial copy in his tall silk hat.
In April 1841 he married Sarah A. Booth. His son, Willie Olcott Burr, succeeded his father as editor of the Daily Times.
