![John D](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/John_D._Defrees.jpg)
John Dougherty Defrees (1810–1882) was an American newspaperman and politician.
Political career
Born in
, Defrees moved to
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
and worked in the law office of
Thomas Corwin
Thomas Corwin (July 29, 1794 – December 18, 1865), also known as Tom Corwin, The Wagon Boy, and Black Tom was a politician from the state of Ohio. He represented Ohio in both houses of Congress and served as the 15th governor of Ohio and the ...
, who would later serve as
Governor of Ohio
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
. In 1831, Defrees and his brother,
Joseph
Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...
, moved to
South Bend, Indiana
South Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, St. Joseph County, Indiana, on the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2020 United S ...
, where they founded the ''
Northwestern Pioneer and St. Joseph Intelligencer'',
Northern Indiana
Northern Indiana is a region of the U.S. State of Indiana, including 26 counties which border the states of Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio. Northern Indiana is also considered part of the Great Lakes Megalopolis. The area is generally classified in ...
's first newspaper.
Newspaper career
In 1833, Defrees moved to
White Pigeon, Michigan
White Pigeon is a village in St. Joseph County, Michigan, St. Joseph County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,522 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. The village is located within White Pigeon Township, Michigan, White ...
, and began publishing the ''
Michigan Statesman and St. Joseph Chronicle'', only the third newspaper published in the
Michigan Territory
The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan. Detroit w ...
and the first published between Chicago and Detroit. Under Defrees, the paper took a radical
Democratic line and supported
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...
. Defrees sold his interest in the paper in mid-1834 to
Henry Gilbert, who later shortened its title to ''
Michigan Statesman
The ''Kalamazoo Gazette'' is the daily newspaper in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and is part of MLive Media Group, Michigan's largest local media organization. ''The Gazette'' publishes seven days a week. Papers are available for home delivery on Thursd ...
''. The paper became the ''
Kalamazoo Gazette
The ''Kalamazoo Gazette'' is the daily newspaper in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and is part of MLive Media Group, Michigan's largest local media organization. ''The Gazette'' publishes seven days a week. Papers are available for home delivery on Thurs ...
'' in 1837, which, , remains in publication.
Defrees returned to South Bend, was admitted to the Indiana bar, and became involved in Indiana state politics, winning election to the
Indiana Senate
The Indiana Senate is the upper house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The Senate is composed of 50 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. Senators serve four-year terms ...
as a
Whig. In 1845, he bought the ''
Indiana Journal'' (now ''
The Indianapolis Star
''The Indianapolis Star'' (also known as ''IndyStar'') is a morning daily newspaper that began publishing on June 6, 1903, in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It has been the only major daily paper in the city since 1999, when the ''Indianap ...
'') which he also edited until he sold the paper a decade later, contributing editorials sharply critical of the
Polk administration's conduct of the
Mexican–American War
The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...
. When the Whig Party collapsed in the early 1850s, Defrees became an important leader in the fusionist movement that established the
Republican Party
Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party.
Republican Party may also refer to:
Africa
*Republican Party (Liberia)
* Republican Part ...
in Indiana. After divesting himself of the ''Journal'', Defrees sought the Republican nomination for seat in
House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
in 1858, but lost to
Albert G. Porter
Albert Gallatin Porter (April 20, 1824 – May 3, 1897) was an American politician who served as the 19th governor of Indiana from 1881 to 1885 and as a United States Congressman from 1859 to 1863. Originally a Democrat, he joined the Republica ...
, who later became
Governor of Indiana
The governor of Indiana is the head of government of the State of Indiana. The governor is elected to a four-year term and is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day management of the functions of many agencies of the Indiana state government ...
. Defrees subsequently founded the ''Indianapolis Atlas'', which under his leadership promoted
Edward Bates
Edward Bates (September 4, 1793 – March 25, 1869) was a lawyer and politician. He represented Missouri in the US House of Representatives and served as the U.S. Attorney General under President Abraham Lincoln. A member of the influential ...
for the 1860 Republican presidential nomination, although Bates lost to
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
.
[Woollen (1975), 486.] Defrees sold the ''Atlas'' to the ''Journal'' in 1861 after President Lincoln named him superintendent of the newly created
U.S. Government Printing Office
The United States Government Publishing Office (USGPO or GPO; formerly the United States Government Printing Office) is an agency of the legislative branch of the United States Federal government. The office produces and distributes information ...
.
Civil war politics
Defrees was a vocal supporter of the Union and the government during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
.
In those days, the Government Printing Office was a rich source of patronage, and Defrees' failure to satisfy members of Congress in that regard led to his removal in 1869, and the restructuring of the post of
Public Printer
The Public Printer of the United States was the head of the United States Government Publishing Office (GPO). Pursuant to , this officer was nominated by the President of the United States and approved by the United States Senate. In December 2014, ...
. Previously, the President named the printer; now and to this day the Senate must approve the appointment.
Defrees backed
Horace Greeley
Horace Greeley (February 3, 1811 – November 29, 1872) was an American newspaper editor and publisher who was the founder and newspaper editor, editor of the ''New-York Tribune''. Long active in politics, he served briefly as a congressm ...
for president in 1872 and
Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford Birchard Hayes (; October 4, 1822 – January 17, 1893) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 19th president of the United States from 1877 to 1881, after serving in the U.S. House of Representatives and as governor ...
in 1876; after his election, Hayes returned Defrees to the Printing Office, which post he held until April 1, 1882. Defrees retired to
Berkeley Springs, West Virginia
Berkeley Springs is a town in, and the county seat of, Morgan County, West Virginia, United States, in the state's Eastern Panhandle. "Berkeley Springs" is also commonly used to refer to the area in and around the Town of Bath. In 1776, the Virg ...
, where he had made his home since 1861, and died there October 19, 1882. He is buried in
Crown Hill Cemetery
Crown Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located at 700 West 38th Street in Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana. The privately owned cemetery was established in 1863 at Strawberry Hill, whose summit was renamed "The Crown", a high poi ...
, Indianapolis.
[Woollen (1975), 487-488.]
Defrees was the brother of
Joseph H. Defrees
Joseph Hutton DeFrees (May 13, 1812 – December 21, 1885) was an American businessman and politician who served one term as a U.S. Representative from Indiana from 1865 to 1867.
His brother, John D. Defrees, was a major figure in Indiana Repub ...
, who served in the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
.
Notes
See also
*
List of United States political families (D)#The Defrees and Frazers
References
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Defrees, John D
1810 births
1882 deaths
Burials at Crown Hill Cemetery
People from Sparta, Tennessee
Indiana Whigs
19th-century American politicians
Indiana Republicans
19th-century American newspaper publishers (people)
People from Bath (Berkeley Springs), West Virginia
American male journalists
19th-century American male writers
People from White Pigeon, Michigan
Indiana state senators
19th-century American newspaper founders
19th-century American newspaper editors
Editors of Indiana newspapers
Indiana lawyers
19th-century American lawyers
United States Government Publishing Office