''The Representative'' was a spectacularly unsuccessful daily newspaper published in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, England. Established on 25 January 1826, it ceased to exist on 29 July 1826. In autumn 1825 the young

Benjamin Disraeli Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881) was a British statesman and Conservative politician who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He played a central role in the creation ...

convinced his father's friend, the publisher John Murray, that the time was ripe for a Canningite morning paper that would challenge ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ( ...

.'' Murray agreed to supply half of the capital, with Disraeli and

John Diston Powles John Diston Powles (c. 1787 – 14 September 1867) was an English businessman. Powles & Co. Powles was involved in numerous companies, typically as a major shareholder who was also chairman. Powles, Brothers & Co. refers to a London company se ...

, a City speculator, each contributing one-quarter. Disraeli travelled to Chiefswood (near Melrose) to persuade John Gibson Lockhart (

Sir Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy ...

's son-in-law) to edit the paper; Lockhart declined, but agreed to serve as editor of Murray's '' Quarterly Review'' and consult on the management of the paper. Disraeli returned to London and began preparations. Lockhart's suggestion that

William Maginn William Maginn (10 July 1794 – 21 August 1842) was an Irish journalist and writer. About Born at Cork he became a contributor to ''Blackwood's Magazine'', and after moving to London in 1824 became for a few months in 1826 the Paris correspond ...

be employed was accepted, and he was sent to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

as foreign correspondent, where he "drank much and wrote little." Offices were leased in the fashionable West End on Great George Street, distant from both

Fleet Street Fleet Street is a major street mostly in the City of London. It runs west to east from Temple Bar at the boundary with the City of Westminster to Ludgate Circus at the site of the London Wall and the River Fleet from which the street was n ...

and

Grub Street Until the early 19th century, Grub Street was a street close to London's impoverished Moorfields district that ran from Fore Street east of St Giles-without-Cripplegate north to Chiswell Street. It was pierced along its length with narrow entr ...

. ''The Representative'' was launched on 25 January 1826 and apparently never had a proper editor – Disraeli quarrelled with Murray and later satirised him in a novel, ''

Vivian Grey ''Vivian Grey'' is Benjamin Disraeli's first novel, published by Henry Colburn in 1826. Originally published anonymously, ostensibly by a so-called "man of fashion", part 1 caused a considerable sensation in London society. Contemporary reviewer ...

'', as the "Marquess of Carabas." The "Rep's" politics were incoherent and advertising began slipping away almost immediately. Soon its nickname was the
demi-Rep
" Maginn was brought back from Paris in March to try to salvage the paper, but it expired with much finger-pointing in the summer of 1826, and was merged with the ''New Times''. Murray lost heavily (about £26,000) and never attempted another foray into newspaper publishing. Disraeli went on to a career in politics, eventually becoming

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

.Blake, 32-38.

Notes

References

*{{cite book , first=Robert , last=Blake , author-link=Robert Blake, Baron Blake , title=Disraeli , url=https://archive.org/details/disraeli00blak , url-access=registration , year=1967 , publisher=St. Martin's Press , location=New York Representative Representative Representative 1826 establishments in England 1826 disestablishments in England