WEED, THURLOW. 



833 



WEED, TmjRLOW, a widely-known Ameri- 

 can journalist and political leader, died at his 

 residence in New York city, November 22, 

 1882, in his eighty- fifth year. He was horn at 

 Cairo, Greene County, N. Y., November 15, 

 1798. His father was a cartman in very poor 

 circumstances, and he had therefore, in his early 

 life, abundant experience of the struggles and 

 hardships of poverty. His first occupation was 

 as a blower and striker in a blacksmith-shop in 

 Catskill, where his parents were then residing, 

 and he was afterward for a short time cabin- 

 boy and cook on river-sloops. His early am- 

 bition was to be connected with the printing 

 business ; and while living at Catskill he man- 

 aged to pick up some little information about 

 his desired calling, doing chores in the office 

 of the "Recorder" of that place. It was not, 

 however, until his fourteenth year, that he was 

 enabled to carry out his desire of becoming a 

 printer. From this time for a number of years 

 he found employment as a compositor in dif- 

 ferent parts of the State. In 1815 he came to 

 New York, where he was for a time employed 

 in the printing-office of Van Winkle & Wiley, 

 who published Cobbett's " Weekly Register," 

 with the eccentric editor of which journal he 

 became acquainted by carrying proof-sheets to 

 him. 



In 1819 he established at Norwich, Chenango 

 County, a paper called "The Agriculturist," 

 but after two years he removed to Manlius, 

 where he started the " Onondaga County Re- 

 publican." A year later, in 1822, he moved to 

 Rochester, and entered the employ of the late 

 Everard Peck. In 1824 the " Advertiser " the 

 first daily paper west of Albany was started 

 at Rochester, and shortly afterward the " Tele- 

 graph," of which Mr. Weed became owner and 

 editor, was established in the same place. It 

 was while occupied in editing this journal, that 

 Lafayette visited the United States, and Mr. 

 Weed accompanied him as a correspondent in 

 his tour throughout the State. In 1826 the 

 Anti- Masonic excitement arose, due to the ab- 

 duction and alleged murder of William Morgan, 

 who had published a book purporting to reveal 

 the secrets of Masonry. Difficulties arising out 

 of an editorial comment on this affair, which 

 displeased many of the subscribers of the " Tele- 

 graph," induced Mr. Weed to withdraw from 

 this journal, and to found shortly afterward 

 the " Anti-Masonic Enquirer," which at once 

 met with public favor, and gave its editor a 

 leading place in party councils. On the Anti- 

 Masonic issue Mr. Weed was twice elected to 

 the Legislature, being in the Assembly at the 

 same time that Mr. Seward was in the Senate. 



His ability as a party manager recommended 

 him to the leading men in political accord with 

 him as the proper man to contend at Albany 

 with what was known as the " Regency," whose 

 political organ was the " Argus." Accordingly, 

 in 1830 Mr. Weed established in that city the 

 11 Albany Evening Journal," which took a con- 

 spicuous part in the formation of the Whig, as 

 VOL. xxii. 53 A 



it afterward did in that of the Republican, 

 party. During the thirty-five years in which 

 he continued to manage it, it held a prominent 

 and influential position in party journalism, 

 and brought Mr. Weed into close and intimate 

 relations with all of the leading men in politi- 

 cal agreement with him, as well as with many 

 with whom he was at times in political con- 

 tention. 



Mr. Weed's record as a political worker and 

 party leader runs back to the very beginning 

 of his journalistic career. The first political 

 campaign in which he took a prominent part 

 was the presidential conflict of 1824, which re- 

 sulted in the election of John Quincy Adams. 

 He succeeded in uniting the Adams and Clay 

 factions, and was acknowledged by the promi- 

 nent men of his party to have contributed more 

 than any one else to the party's success in this 

 campaign. He took a prominent part in the 

 nomination of Harrison in 1836 and 1840, and 

 of Clay in 1844, and was active in behalf of 

 General Scott in 1852 and Fremont in 1856. 

 In 1860 Mr. Seward was his choice, and he 

 labored strenuously for his nomination ; but, 

 failing in this, he cordially supported Mr. Lin- 

 coln, whose re-election he heartily advocated in 

 1864. He supported the nomination of Gen- 

 eral Grant, and also his renomination in 1872. 

 In the nominations for prominent positions in 

 his own State, Mr. Weed's advice and influence 

 were important elements. He advocated and 

 worked for the nomination and election of 

 Governors Seward, Fish, King, Hunt, Morgan, 

 and Dix, whose administrations have been 

 among the most successful of those in the his- 

 tory of the State. 



Mr. Weed visited Europe several times, cor- 

 responding during his earlier trips with the 

 " Albany Evening Journal." His first visit was 

 made in 1843, the second in the latter part of 

 1851, and the third in 1861. The visit of the 

 last year was one of national importance, as 

 his mission was to place the struggle in which 

 the North was then engaged in a favorable light 

 before Europe, and ask the European govern- 

 ments to refrain from any intervention on be- 

 half of the South. He was accompanied by 

 Archbishop Hughes and Bishop Mcllvaine. 

 The letters written by Mr. Weed while on these 

 visits, as well as a series written on a visit to 

 the West Indies in 1844-'45, were collected 

 and issued in a volume in 1866. 



In 1867 Mr. Weed became the editor of the 

 " Commercial Advertiser," in New York city, 

 which position he was, however, compelled to 

 give up in a little over a year on account of 

 failing health. This was somewhat improved 

 by a European trip in the summer of 1868, but 

 not sufficiently to warrant him in undertaking 

 regular and prolonged work. The winter of 

 1868-'69 was spent in South Carolina, and 

 from then until his death, with the exception 

 of several intervals of travel, he spent his time 

 in New York, contributing occasionally to the 

 periodicals, mainly " The Galaxy," and also 



