Background
James Rivington, born in London, was the sixth son of Charles Rivington, a native of Chesterfield in Derbyshire, founder of the London publishing house of Rivington, and his wife, Eleanor Pease, of Newcastle-on-Tyne.
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James Rivington
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James and his brother John continued their father's business in St. Paul's Churchyard till March 1756, when James formed a partnership with James Fletcher, Jr. , in the same neighborhood. This firm reaped ten thousand pounds profit from the publication of Smollett's History of England, and otherwise prospered.
Success was Rivington's undoing. He neglected his affairs, played the races at Newmarket, and otherwise endangered his fortune in high living. Though a supposed bankrupt, he paid his creditors in full and had capital left over for himself. But this experience induced him to remove to America in 1760, where he opened a bookstore in Market Street, Philadelphia, and on September 25 of that year he also "opened a Store at the House of the late Doctor Ascough, in Hanover Square, " New York, and offered to supply "all public libraries" as well as individuals with imported books from England.
In 1761 he had as a partner Samuel Brown, son-in-law of Henry De Foreest, the first native printer of New York. They sold general merchandise as well as books.
In 1763 they "opened a very elegant Picture Gallery, exhibiting the finest Collection of Pictures that ever were seen in America, " to be sold "exceedingly cheap". Rivington extended his chain of stores to King Street in Boston, in 1762, conducting this place in partnership with William Miller, a Scotchman, until the latter's death in 1765.
It was about this time that Rivington confined his business interests to New York. But in June 1766 he was resident at Annapolis, as the proprietor of "The Maryland Lottery, " a land scheme for which he issued 8, 000 tickets. He became again a bankrupt, but soon recovered, and in 1767 the firm was J. Rivington & Company. In November 1768 Rivington moved his shop from Hanover Square to the lower end of Wall Street. At this time he published the poetical works of Charles Churchill, for which he had 2, 200 advance subscriptions.
He was admitted a freeman of the city of New York in January 1769.
As the result of his second marriage that he steadied himself and expanded his influence and business. In 1773 he added a printery, where he printed for himself and others.
On March 18, 1773, he announced his chief project, a newspaper, in a preliminary issue, gratis, which was followed on April 22 with the first regular issue of Rivington's New-York Gazetteer; or the Connecticut, New Jersey, Hudson's River, and Quebec Weekly Advertiser. This newspaper was a departure in American journalism. In its purpose it catered to every human interest, and Isaiah Thomas said "few men, perhaps, were better qualified to publish a newspaper, " and "no newspaper in the colonies was better printed, or was more copiously furnished with foreign intelligence. "
In tabular matter, ornament borders, cuts, alignment, registration, and other typographical niceties it excelled. He announced his editorial policy as "never to admit any Performance, calculated to injure Virtue, Religion or other public Happiness, to wound a Neighbour's Reputation, or to raise a Blush in the face of Virgin Innocence. " Furthermore, he proposed to print both sides of a question, which he did in the tea-act controversy, and he printed all the tracts in the bitter Westchester Farmer tract war, in which Alexander Hamilton made his political début.
When the newspaper was little more than a year old its circulation was 3, 600 copies, and was, as he says, "constantly distributed thro' every colony of North-America, most of the English, French, Spanish, Dutch, and Danish West India islands, the principal cities and towns of Great Britain, France, Ireland, and the Mediterranean". Rivington's open policy became offensive to the Sons of Liberty, of whom Isaac Sears was the New York leader. He had not spared Sears in their warfare of words. Several Whig meetings condemned Rivington's policy, and in 1775 the popular resentment reached a climax.
On November 27 of that year, a party of the Sons of Liberty from Connecticut attacked and ruined his printing plant, notwithstanding he had, after a previous arrest, signed the "General Association" of the Whigs. He left New York for London in the ship Sansom in January 1776 and after more than a year abroad returned with a new printing plant and appointment as the King's printer in New York.
He resumed publication of his newspaper on October 4, 1777, with a decidedly altered policy and in the Loyalist interest. He continued it, with varying names, to Number 758, December 31, 1783.
From May 1778 through July 1783, Rivington managed with the other printers of newspapers in New York to establish a mutual daily gazette, first for five and then for six days a week, an arrangement that produced virtually the first daily newspaper in America. After the British evacuation in 1783, Rivington was allowed to continue in the United States, it is believed on account of his apologies and, as alleged, because of secret aid given to Washington's spies during the British occupancy, but his existence was worse than exile. He was obliged a few weeks later to discontinue his printery and was also given a violent beating by Nicholas Cruger in reprisal.
In the spring of 1797 Rivington was in a debtor's prison for the debts of others. He held the British sympathy till the end, and Sir Guy Carleton, the last of the British commanders at New York, gave his sons, John and James, who had seen no active service, the benefit of half pay for life through commissions in the British army in 1783. The father gave up printing, but continued some years as a New York bookseller and stationer.
He failed again, and died poor, after an illness of a few days, on Independence Day, 1802.
Achievements
Personality
In his better days he is said to have dressed gaudily and well. His fine face is preserved in Gilbert Stuart's portrait in the New York Historical Society.
Quotes from others about the person
Thomas estimated him as "possessed of good talents, " having "polite manners, " and being "well informed. " To his gentlemanly qualities "he added benevolence, vivacity, " and "punctuality in his business. "
Connections
Rivington married twice: first, on September 14, 1752, Elizabeth, a daughter of Thomas Minshull of Charlton Hall, Manchester, by whom he had one child that died in infancy; and second, in March 1769, Elizabeth Van Horne, a lady of good connections, by whom he had two sons and a daughter. She died much lamented on July 18, 1795.
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Born
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Died
July 4, 1802 (aged 78) -
Nationality
American