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Henry Oscar Houghton (; April 30, 1823 – August 25, 1895) was an American
publisher Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...
, co-founder of
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, and a
mayor of Cambridge, Massachusetts This is a list of the past and present mayors of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Mayors City managers References *{{Cite book, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=McgMAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA63, author=Arthur Gilman, title=The Cambridge of eighteen hund ...
.


Biography

Houghton was born into a poor family in Sutton, Vermont. At age thirteen, he started working as an apprentice at ''
The Burlington Free Press ''The Burlington Free Press'' (sometimes referred to as "BFP" or "the Free Press") is a digital and print community news organization based in Burlington, Vermont, and owned by Gannett. It is one of the official "newspapers of record" for the St ...
'', where he became a
typesetter Typesetting is the composition of text by means of arranging physical ''type'' (or ''sort'') in mechanical systems or ''glyphs'' in digital systems representing ''characters'' (letters and other symbols).Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random Ho ...
. After graduation from the
University of Vermont The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is amon ...
, he moved to
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to work first as a reporter, then
proofreader Proofreading is the reading of a galley proof or an electronic copy of a publication to find and correct reproduction errors of text or art. Proofreading is the final step in the editorial cycle before publication. Professional Traditiona ...
. He then joined a small Cambridge firm, Freeman & Bolles, that typeset and printed books for
Little, Brown and Company Little, Brown and Company is an American publishing company founded in 1837 by Charles Coffin Little and James Brown in Boston. For close to two centuries it has published fiction and nonfiction by American authors. Early lists featured Emily ...
. At age 25, he became a partner, and in 1849, the company was renamed Bolles and Houghton. After Bolles left in 1851, Houghton briefly entered a partnership with his cousin, Rufus Haywood, then with Edmund Hatch Bennett, before taking on full responsibility in 1855. In 1852, Houghton moved the business to a property beside the
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, renaming it the Riverside Press. Before the Riverside Press, American books had generally been printed with poor ink on cheap paper. Houghton insisted on much higher quality; his motto was "Do it well or not at all". The result was very successful. He became the main printer for publishers
Ticknor and Fields Ticknor and Fields was an American publishing company based in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded as a bookstore in 1832, the business would publish many 19th century American authors including Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry James, ...
, and, in 1863, was engaged by G. & C. Merriam Company to print and bind their new dictionary. In 1864, Houghton entered the publishing business and formed a partnership with a New York publisher, Melancthon M. Hurd, who obtained half interest in the Riverside Press. Within three years, the company increased its workforce from 90 to 300 employees. Hurd & Houghton struggled initially as a publisher, contending especially with lackluster periodical sales, and would not turn a profit until 1870. ''Hurd & Houghton'' was the successor of ''James G. Gregory'', ''W. A. Townsend & Co.'' and ''Stringer & Townsend''. The Riverside Press continued to operate successfully, however, and Houghton purchased the property it occupied in 1867. George Harrison Mifflin (1845–1921) became a partner in 1872, the same year that Houghton served as mayor of Cambridge. In 1878, when Hurd retired, Houghton joined with James R. Osgood of
Ticknor and Fields Ticknor and Fields was an American publishing company based in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded as a bookstore in 1832, the business would publish many 19th century American authors including Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry James, ...
, merging their firms to create Houghton, Osgood and Company. The firm was plagued by debts brought in by Osgood, and dissolved in 1880 when Osgood left the partnership. Houghton and Mifflin then formed
Houghton, Mifflin and Company Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (; HMH) is an American publisher of textbooks, instructional technology materials, assessments, reference works, and fiction and non-fiction for both young readers and adults. The company is based in the Boston Financ ...
; Lawson Valentine, who became a partner and provided $200,000 in fresh capital, helped to mitigate their debts. Houghton's firm also retained the right to the Tickner and Fields backlist, from which it could freely benefit. Houghton died at his summer home in
North Andover, Massachusetts North Andover is an affluent town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the 2020 census the population was 30,915. History Native Americans inhabited what is now northeastern Massachusetts for thousands of years prior to European c ...
on August 25, 1895. He had one son and three daughters. In his 1891 will, he appointed daughter Elizabeth Harris Houghton "representative to nominate a patient for the free bed the testator established in the Cambridge hospital".


References


Sources

* Scudder, Horace E.
''Henry Oscar Houghton, A Biographical Outline''
Riverside Press, Cambridge, 1897


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Houghton, Henry Oscar 1823 births 1893 deaths People from Caledonia County, Vermont University of Vermont alumni American publishers (people) Mayors of Cambridge, Massachusetts 19th-century American politicians General Society of Colonial Wars 19th-century American businesspeople