''The Argonaut'' was a newspaper based in

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

from 1878 to 1956. It was founded by Frank Somers, and soon taken over by Frank M. Pixley, who built it into a highly regarded publication. Under Pixley's stewardship it was considered "the leading literary production of the San Francisco press and was a powerful influence in State and municipal politics." The magazine was known for containing strong political Americanism combined with art and literature. Many 19th-century writers such as

Ambrose Bierce Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (June 24, 1842 – ) was an American short story writer, journalist, poet, and American Civil War veteran. His book ''The Devil's Dictionary'' was named as one of "The 100 Greatest Masterpieces of American Literature" by t ...

Yda Addis Yda Hillis Addis, (born 1857, disappeared 1902 in California, U.S.) was the first American writer to translate ancient Mexican oral stories and histories into English, some of which she submitted to San Francisco-based newspaper ''The Argonaut ...

, Emma Frances Dawson, and

Gertrude Atherton Gertrude Franklin Horn Atherton (October 30, 1857 – June 14, 1948) was an American author. Paterson, Isabel, "Gertrude Atherton: A Personality" The Bookman'', New York, February 1924, (pgs. 632-636) Many of her novels are set in her home sta ...

appeared regularly in its pages. It was considered one of the most important publications in California, and it had a great deal of political influence. As a staunch Republican, Pixley used ''The Argonaut'' to support

Leland Stanford Amasa Leland Stanford (March 9, 1824June 21, 1893) was an American industrialist and politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 8th governor of California from 1862 to 1863 and represented California in the United States Se ...

and other owners of the Central Pacific Railroad. Pixley, who served as ''The Argonaut's'' editor and publisher, had been California's eighth attorney general when Stanford was governor. The journal was founded as a counterweight to Denis Kearney, an Irish-born labor leader who represented many of the Irish immigrants who worked for the railroad. Pixley, who wanted someday to become governor of California himself, was said to have handed out gold coins to sway voters. Jerome Hart became editor in 1891. Pixley sold the journal before his death in 1895 for $11,000.00. This period was seen as a low point in the ''Argonaut's'' quality. Alfred Holman purchased the newspaper in 1907, shortly after selling all his interests in ''

the Sacramento Union ''The Sacramento Union'' was a daily newspaper founded in 1851 in Sacramento, California. It was the oldest daily newspaper west of the Mississippi River before it closed its doors after 143 years in January 1994, no longer able to compete with ' ...

''. He served as publisher and editor until 1924. The name 'Argonaut' comes from the local term for gold prospectors, argonaut.

Modern publications using the same title

In the early 1990s,

Warren Hinckle Warren James Hinckle III (October 12, 1938 – August 25, 2016) was an American political journalist based in San Francisco. Hinckle is remembered for his tenure as editor of '' Ramparts'' magazine, turning a sleepy publication aimed at a lib ...

launched a print publication titled ''The Argonaut'', and an online version called ''Argonaut360''. Hinckle made a jocular claim to continuity with the original publication (along with some colorful embellishments on the original publication's history), and used numbering consistent with the original publication. In 1990, the

San Francisco Historical Society The San Francisco Historical Society is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation, interpretation, and presentation of the history of San Francisco and the surrounding Bay Area. It is a membership-based organization that holds monthly s ...

also launched a journal called ''The Argonaut''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Argonaut, The 19th-century publications 1877 establishments in California 1956 disestablishments in California Companies based in San Francisco Defunct literary magazines published in the United States History of California Magazines established in 1877 Magazines published in San Francisco San Francisco Bay Area literature