The ''Boston Evening Transcript'' was a daily afternoon newspaper in Boston, Massachusetts, published from July 24, 1830, to April 30, 1941.

Beginnings

''The Transcript'' was founded in 1830 by Henry Dutton and James Wentworth of the firm of Dutton and Wentworth, which was, at that time, the official state printer of Massachusetts. and Lynde Walter who was also the first editor of the ''Transcript''. Dutton and Wentworth agreed to this as long as Walter would pay the expenses of the initial editions of the newspaper. In 1830 ''The Boston Evening Bulletin'', which had been a penny paper, ceased publication. Lynde Walter decided to use the opening provided to start a new evening penny paper in Boston. Walter approached Dutton and Wentworth with the proposal that he would edit the paper and that they would do the printing and circulation. ''The Transcript'' first appeared on July 24, 1830, however after three days Walter suspended publication of the paper until he could build up his patronage. After Walter canvassed the city to better develop the paper's business ''The Transcript'' resumed publication on August 28, 1830. After Lynde Walter died, his sister, Cornelia Wells Walter, who had been the ''Transcript''s theatre critic, became, at 29, the editor of the ''Transcript'', the first woman to become the editor of a major American daily. Cornelia Walter served as the editor of ''The Transcript'' from 1842 to 1847.

Great Fire

The ''Transcript''s offices were destroyed in the

Great Boston Fire of 1872 The Great Boston Fire of 1872 was Boston's largest fire, and still ranks as one of the most costly fire-related property losses in American history. The conflagration began at 7:20 p.m. on Saturday, November 9, 1872, in the basement of a com ...

. After the Great Fire ''The Transcript''s offices on Washington Street were rebuilt and expanded.

Literary influence

In 1847 the poet Epes Sargent became editor of the paper. Many literary and poetic works debuted in the ''Transcript's'' pages.

William Stanley Braithwaite William Stanley Beaumont Braithwaite (December 6, 1878 – June 8, 1962) was an African-American writer, poet, literary critic, anthologist, and publisher. His work as a critic and anthologist was widely praised and important in the development of ...

was an influential literary editor from 1906-31. He elevated the works of contemporary American poets and wrote an annual survey of poems published in American magazines. An early version of "

America the Beautiful "America the Beautiful" is a patriotic American song. Its lyrics were written by Katharine Lee Bates and its music was composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward at Grace Episcopal Church in Newark, New Jersey. The two neve ...

" by

Katharine Lee Bates Katharine Lee Bates (August 12, 1859 – March 28, 1929) was an American author and poet, chiefly remembered for her anthem "America the Beautiful", but also for her many books and articles on social reform, on which she was a noted speaker. Bat ...

first appeared in ''The Boston Evening Transcript'' on November 19, 1904. Hazel Hall (poet)'s first published poem "To an English Sparrow", first appeared in ''The Transcript'' in 1916. T. S. Eliot wrote the poem “The ‘Boston Evening Transcript’” in 1925.

Features and columns

Features and columns included: "Suburban Scenes", "The Listener", "The Nomad", "The Librarian", "Saturday Night Thoughts", as well as extensive book reviews and music criticism. ''The Transcript'' also had a Washington bureau, a college sports pages and a department of Bridge. In addition ''The Transcript'' had a well known genealogy column. Harvard Medical School's first U.S. animal

vivisection Vivisection () is surgery conducted for experimental purposes on a living organism, typically animals with a central nervous system, to view living internal structure. The word is, more broadly, used as a pejorative catch-all term for Animal testi ...

lab raised concern from then editor-in-chief Edward Clement, and the paper subsequently ran a series of anti-vivisection editorials. In the summer of 1940 when Britain faced invasion in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, children were being evacuated overseas under a British Government scheme known as the

Children's Overseas Reception Board The Children's Overseas Reception Board (CORB) was a British government sponsored organisation. The CORB evacuated 2,664 British children from England, so that they would escape the imminent threat of German invasion and the risk of enemy bomb ...

. The readers of the ''Boston Evening Transcript'' readily responded and agreed to sponsor a group of children. A group of 48 children left England on

RMS Scythia RMS ''Scythia'' was a Cunard Line, Cunard ocean liner. She sailed on her maiden voyage in 1921, and became a troop and supply ship during the World War II, Second World War. ''Scythia'' was the longest serving Cunard liner until 4 September 20 ...

(Cunard Line) 19,730 tons, from Liverpool on 24 September 1940 bound for Boston.

Genealogical columns

Because of the genealogy column ''The Transcript'' is of value to historians and others. Gary Boyd Roberts of the

New England Historic Genealogical Society The New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) is the oldest and largest genealogical society in the United States, founded in 1845. NEHGS provides family history services through its staff, original scholarship, website,New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' today, was a newspaper of record. Its genealogical column, which usually ran twice or more a week for several decades in the early twentieth century, was often an exchange among the most devoted and scholarly genealogists of the day. Many materials not published elsewhere are published therein.

Contributors

*Justin

Brooks Atkinson Justin Brooks Atkinson (November 28, 1894 – January 14, 1984) was an American theatre critic. He worked for '' The New York Times'' from 1922 to 1960. In his obituary, the ''Times'' called him "the theater's most influential reviewer of hi ...

, police reporter, assistant to the drama critic, H. T. Parker, (1919–1922). * David Washburn Bailey, sports reporter and drama critic, assistant dramatic editor (1922–1928). *

Clarence W. Barron Clarence W. Barron (July 2, 1855, in Boston, Massachusetts – October 2, 1928) was one of the most influential figures in the history of Dow Jones & Company. As a career newsman described as a "short, rotund powerhouse", he died holding the pos ...

, ''Transcript'' reporter (1875–1887). *

, (1906–1931) served as literary editor. * Virginia Lee Burton, sketch artist. *Joseph Edgar Chamberlin, editor. *

Edward Henry Clement Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sax ...

, editor-in-chief (1881–1906) and co-founder of the

New England Anti-Vivisection Society The New England Anti-Vivisection Society (NEAVS) is a national, registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization "dedicated to ending the use of animals in research, testing, and science education" and replacing them with "modern alternatives that are ...

(NEAVS). * Albert C. Dieffenbach, editor of religion (1933–1941). *

Edward Downes Sir Edward Thomas ("Ted") Downes, CBE (17 June 1924 – 10 July 2009) was an English conductor, specialising in opera. He was associated with the Royal Opera House from 1952, and with Opera Australia from 1970. He was also well known for hi ...

, music critic. *

Edwin Francis Edgett The name Edwin means "rich friend". It comes from the Old English elements "ead" (rich, blessed) and "ƿine" (friend). The original Anglo-Saxon form is Eadƿine, which is also found for Anglo-Saxon figures. People * Edwin of Northumbria (died ...

, literary editor (1894–1938). * Dr. Herbert H. Fletcher, editor of religion, associate managing editor, and founder and sole editor of ''The Churchman Afield'' department of ''The Saturday Evening Transcript''. *

Jeannette Leonard Gilder Jeannette Leonard Gilder (pen name, Brunswick; October 3, 1849 – January 17, 1916) was an American author, journalist, critic, and editor. She served as the regular correspondent and literary critic for ''Chicago Tribune'', and was also a corre ...

, writing under the pen name "Brunswick", Gilder was the New York correspondent of the ''Transcript'' * John A. Holmes, served as poetry editor for eight years. *Olga Van Slyke Owens Huckins, literary editor (1939 to 1941). Huckins letter to

Rachel Carson Rachel Louise Carson (May 27, 1907 – April 14, 1964) was an American marine biologist, writer, and conservationist whose influential book '' Silent Spring'' (1962) and other writings are credited with advancing the global environmental ...

inspired the book ''Silent Spring''. *Charles E. Hurd, literary editor (1875–1901), originated and conducted the Notes and Queries; and Genealogical departments, contributed to the Art, Dramatic and Editorial departments. * Francis Henry Jenks, music and dramatic editor 1881–1894. *Franklin Jordan, aviation editor. *

Howard Mumford Jones Howard Mumford Jones (April 16, 1892 – May 11, 1980) was an American intellectual historian, literary critic, journalist, poet, and professor of English at the University of Michigan and later at Harvard University. Jones was the book editor for ...

, book editor. *

Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. (July 5, 1902 – February 27, 1985) was an American diplomat and Republican United States senator from Massachusetts in both Senate seats in non-consecutive terms of service and a United States ambassador. He was considered ...

, reporter. *

Kenneth Macgowan Kenneth Macgowan (November 30, 1888 – April 27, 1963) was an American film producer. He won an Academy Award for Best Color Short Film for ''La Cucaracha'' (1934), the first live-action short film made in the three-color Technicolor process. Bi ...

, drama critic. *

John P. Marquand John Phillips Marquand (November 10, 1893 – July 16, 1960) was an American writer. Originally best known for his Mr. Moto spy stories, he achieved popular success and critical respect for his satirical novels, winning a Pulitzer Prize for '' ...

, was a staff writer on the paper and later on its bi-weekly magazine after he graduated from Harvard College. * John U. Monro, journalist and later dean of

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

*Joseph Palmer, acting editor (1840–1842). * Henry Taylor Parker, music, dance and drama critic (1905–1934). * Edmund Pearson, (1880–1937) writer of the column, ''The Librarian'' from 1906 to 1920. *

Lucien Price Junius Lucien Price (January 6, 1883 – March 30, 1964), who also published under the name Seymour Deming,
...

, (1907–1914) assistant music and drama critic, editorial writer, and journalist. * Epes Sargent, editor. *

Paul Secon Paul Secon (July 13, 1916 – February 24, 2007) was an American entrepreneur and songwriter, who co-founded Pottery Barn with his brother, Morris, in 1950. Biography Secon was born to a Jewish family Pottery Barn Pottery Barn is an American upscale home furnishing store chain and e-commerce company, with retail stores in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Australia. Pottery Barn is a wholly owned subsidiary of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. The company is head ...

. * Nicolas Slonimsky, music writer. * Cornelia Wells Walter, editor (1842 to 1847), and theater critic. * Anne Wiesman society editor. * Lynde M. Walter, editor (1830–1840), and one of the ''Transcript's '' founders.

In popular literature

"The Boston Evening Transcript" is also the title of a poem by T. S. Eliot which reads:
:The readers of the Boston Evening Transcript :Sway in the wind like a field of ripe corn. :When evening quickens faintly in the street, :Wakening the appetites of life in some :And to others bringing the Boston Evening Transcript, :I mount the steps and ring the bell, turning :Wearily, as one would turn to nod good-bye to Rochefoucauld, :If the street were time and he at the end of the street, :And I say, "Cousin Harriet, here is the Boston Evening Transcript."

References

Archives and records

Boston Evening Transcript records
at Baker Library Special Collections, Harvard Business School.

External links

''The Boston Transcript'': a history of its first hundred years

Issue archive
at Google News {{DEFAULTSORT:Boston Evening Transcript Defunct companies based in Massachusetts Defunct newspapers published in Massachusetts Newspapers published in Boston Publications disestablished in 1941 Newspapers established in 1830 Evening newspapers Daily newspapers published in the United States 1941 disestablishments in Massachusetts 1830 establishments in Massachusetts