Advertisement for the ''Evening Telegram'' in a national newspaper directory in 1894
The Portland ''Telegram'' was a daily newspaper serving
Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
in the U.S. state of
Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
from 1877 until it was acquired by, and merged into, the
Scripps-owned
Portland ''News'' in 1931. The ''News'' had started out as the ''East Side News'' under secretive circumstances in 1906.
The ''Telegram'' was a
Democratic paper, despite its founder being a staunch
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
.
History
The ''Telegram'' was founded in 1877 by
Henry Pittock
Henry Lewis Pittock (March 1, 1835 – January 28, 1919) was an English-born American pioneer, publisher, newspaper editor, and wood and paper magnate. He was active in Republican politics and Portland, Oregon civic affairs, a Freemason and an a ...
, who had founded ''
The Oregonian
''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 185 ...
'' 16 years prior. His ownership connected the ''Telegram'' to the ''Oregonian''; while the ''Oregonian'' was a solidly
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
paper, the ''Telegram'' tended
Democratic, in order to keep competitors out of the field.
It is said to have dominated the afternoon news field in Portland until the advent of the ''
Oregon Journal
''The Oregon Journal'' was Portland, Oregon's daily afternoon newspaper from 1902 to 1982. The ''Journal'' was founded in Portland by C. S. "Sam" Jackson, publisher of Pendleton, Oregon's ''East Oregonian'' newspaper, after a group of Portlander ...
'' in 1902.
Beginning in the 1850s and '60s, Oregon journalism was characterized by bitter editorial attacks among competing newspaper publishers, a condition referred to as the "Oregon style" of journalism. A. C. McDonald, one of the owners of the Telegram Publishing Company, was killed in a duel with James K. Mercer, assistant editor of the ''
Portland Bee
The ''Portland Bee'' was a Republican newspaper in Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon in the late 19th century. It was launched in November 1875, the same year as the '' Portland Daily Bulletin'' disincorporated; like the ''Bulletin'', it had bo ...
'', over an editorial dispute in 1878.
The paper had a high degree of turnover in its leadership in its first decade. One consistent presence was
Catherine Amanda Coburn
Catherine Amanda Coburn (, Scott; November 30, 1839 – May 27, 1913) was an American pioneer of the long nineteenth century associated with the Oregon Territory. Entering the workforce after the untimely death of her husband, she became a teache ...
, sister of
Harvey W. Scott and
Abigail Scott Duniway, who ran the editorial page from 1883 to 1888, when she left for the ''Oregonian''. Richard D. Cannon arrived as editor in 1888, and was credited with improving society and sports coverage. He left the paper in the early 1890s, but returned in 1904. Other editors included J. B. Fithian and S. A. Moreland. Lumbermen John E. and L. R. Wheeler bought the paper in 1914;
the
Telegram Building
The Telegram Building is a historic building in Portland, Oregon. It was constructed in 1922, several years after ''The Evening Telegram'' newspaper had been purchased by John E. and L. R. Wheeler. The ''Telegram'' was a newspaper founded in 1877 ...
, now a historic landmark, was built during their tenure. Several unpopular campaigns, including one against the
Ku Klux Klan
The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and ...
, brought the paper into bankruptcy.
In 1922 an ''
East Oregonian
The ''East Oregonian'' (''EO'') is a daily newspaper published in Pendleton, Oregon, United States and covering Umatilla and Morrow counties. The ''EO'' was the first-place winner of the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association General Excellence ...
'' editorial accused the ''Telegram'' of opposing the interests of
Eastern Oregon
Eastern Oregon is the eastern part of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is not an officially recognized geographic entity; thus, the boundaries of the region vary according to context. It is sometimes understood to include only the eight easternmost ...
and meddling, more than other Portland papers, in electoral politics.
C. H. Brockhagen bought the paper, and was the publisher from 1927 until the 1931 merger with the ''News''.
According to Oregon newspaper historian
George Turnbull, following the merger, the character of the consolidated paper reflected the ''News'' more than the ''Telegram'', though the ''Telegram'' provided "a number of valuable staff members."
References
External links
"Research with historical Portland newspapers, beyond the Oregonian"– Multnomah County Library
{{authority control
Newspapers published in Portland, Oregon
Defunct newspapers published in Oregon
Daily newspapers published in the United States
1877 establishments in Oregon
Publications established in 1877