Hugh Gaine was the leading newspaper publisher in New York City and its most successful printer during the time of the American Revolution. He was often accused for his absence of moral fiber, choosing which side of the rebellion to back as easily as one would pick which hat to don for a day’s outing. Critics stated the founder of the New York Mercury and the New York Gazette swayed in whatever direction the political wind blew, placing financial gain and fear of retribution before loyalty and honor. Today, this vacillation would be described as ‘spineless.’ Late 19th century historian Isaiah Thomas wrote that Gaine’s political creed, it seems, was to join the strongest party at any given time. Recent author Anthony Fellows in his American Media History, labelled Gaine as the Turncoat Editor.
Early Life & Printing Press
Hugh Gaine (1726 – April 27, 1807) was born in Belfast, Ireland. Coming from a poor, working-class family, he entered into a five-year apprenticeship with James Magee, Belfast’s most important printer of the small-format popular books and Robert Burns’ first publisher outside of Scotland. Gaine left Ireland in 1745 for New York City at age eighteen. He worked as a journey-man for James Parker, who in 1743, established the New York Weekly Post Boy, renamed in 1744 the New York Gazette, taking over William Bradford’s Gazette after his former teacher went out of business. Gaine perfected his trade under Parker, who had become New York’s official publisher, printing journals for the house of assembly. Around 1750, Gaine had saved enough to strike out on his own. The Irishman purchased a small, modest property in Hanover Square and opened a book and stationary store named the “Bible and Crown.” He would maintain the shop for the next forty years.
Gaine produced pamphlets and diversified into other publications, printing and selling books for himself and others. In 1752, he founded The New York Mercury. Industrious and economical, his ventures proved successful as he pursued new avenues in advertising and marketing. Among his insights, in the September 14, 1761 edition, Gaine became the first publisher to promote sales by employing newsboys to deliver papers. Later, in the August 24, 1772, he adverted for “a clever honest Fellow to carry New York Gazette and Weekly Mercury to Part of the Customers in the City, four Hours every Monday will do the business.” Like his previous employer, Gaine sought to establish his shop as a government press. Besides notices and annual reports, in 1764 and 1765, he printed two large folio volumes of one thousand pages each titled, the Journal of the Votes and Proceedings of the House of Assembly from 1691 to 1765.
Early on, Gaine tested the nation’s emotional temperature and went with the flow. After England passed the Stamp Act in March, 1765, The Mercury joined the cry of colonial newspapers for the act’s immediate repeal. Parliament reversed itself the next year, and during a relative period of peace, Gaine, in 1767, renamed his paper Gaine’s New York Gazette and Mercury. It soon became the most popular newspaper in New York. But tensions mounted again as England added additional acts of revenue. Throughout, Gaine attempted to remain neutral, advertising that his printing shop “has been open to publication from ALL PARTIES.” But for the New York City patriot organization Sons of Liberty, led by ‘King’ Isaac Sears, neutrality was not an option. Late November, 1775, James Rivington, a recent competitor who opened his loyalist newspaper New York Gazetter in 1773, was hung in effigy and had his press broken into. His press was destroyed by the radical patriot mob and his home torched. Shortly after, the Sons of Liberty boys stormed into Gaine’s printing shop and threatened to destroy it if he printed any more loyalist viewpoints. Gaine quickly saw the writing on the wall and agreed, posting patriot opinions.
American Revolution
While the patriots remained in control of New York City, Gaine’s paper leaned towards the Whig viewpoint. After the Continental Army defeat at the Battle of Brooklyn, August 27, 1776, Gaine removed part of his presses and set up shop in Newark, New Jersey. There on September 21st, he began running two papers for a very short time; the New York edition that favored the Tory cause, and the New Jersey paper, that of the patriots. While the Newark paper spoke of “the Honourable Continental Congress” and gained the approval of Governor Livingston, his New York paper presses pushed loyalist doctrine. Over the next couple of months, Gaine basically sat on the fence, simply watching to see which side would most likely prevail in the struggle. By early General Washington was driven north out of New York City and off Manhattan Island, Gaine came to his decision. He packed up shop and returned to New York City.
As soon as British Commander in Chief General Howe arrived in New York in mid-September, he sought a city paper to advance the British cause. Ambrose Serle, loyalist and private secretary to General Howe, was appointed to start a Tory newspaper. Serle appropriated the type and presses Gaine had left at his book shop, The Bible and Crown. On September 30th, Serle resurrected the New York Gazette. Serle published a couple of editions; however, with the November 11th issue number 1307, Gaines had returned to New York and had taken charge of his old New York Gazette and Weekly Mercury. Though Gaine was accepted into the Tory fold, because of his past leanings for the patriot cause, he never fully gained the complete confidence of General Howe.
Loyalist newspaperman James Rivington had escaped to England after driven out of the city in 1775. In late 1777, he returned with a Royal blessing to help spread the Crown’s favor. Howe wasn’t about to step on the King’s toes and in October, helped the newspaperman establish Rivington’s New York Loyal Gazette. Two months later, Rivington changed it to simply the Royal Gazette. By early 1778, there were two major loyalist newspapers competing in New York City. Howe extended his favoritism to Rivington with the title “Printer to the King’s Most Excellent Majesty,” and designated the Royal Gazette as the city’s official paper. By 1779, the competition between the two Tory tabloids for the same limited audience was fierce enough that Howe organized a publishing schedule; Gaine published on Mondays, while Rivington did so on Wednesdays and Saturdays. During the war, Gaine’s newspaper sales were a far cry from his previous success. But the crafty businessman poured time and money into his bookshop and book publishing business. The shop did so well that by war’s end, Gaine was financially sound.
After the War and Death
Just prior to the British evacuating New York City, November 26, 1783, Gaine had suspended his Gazette on the 10th; no loss as the paper had been doing poorly towards the end. He crossed out the word Crown in his press’ Bible and Crown imprint and confined himself principally to the successful printing and selling of books. After the British were gone, Gaine petitioned the New York State Legislature for leave to remain in the city. He did not have the previous history and sigma of his competitive colleague, Rivington, and succeeded in obtaining permission. His presses were solely employed in producing pamphlets and book publishing that after the war, brought in a highly successful revenue for Gaine’s remaining years. He died on April 25, 1807, at the age of eighty-one, a wealthy man with a handsome estate.
One of war’s many ironies; Gaine was a well noted turncoat, who, in the midst of a swirling political storm, swayed whichever direction benefitted him financially. He had become a devoted loyalist right up until the British vacated New York. Yet, while the victorious Americans drove thousands of loyalists out of the country with their estates forfeited, Gaine was allowed to remain and keep his former enterprise that continued to provide a very comfortable lifestyle. Rivington; however, after embedding himself within England’s inner circle of confidence, switched sides in 1779, joining the Culper Ring, named for Samuel Culper, the alias of Washington’s spymaster Robert Townsend. Why would Rivington, who helped defeat the British, be ostracized and vilified for the rest of his life. Whereas Gaine, who supported England right up to war’s end, survive unscathed, treated as an outstanding American citizen? Perhaps the answer, as it has throughout history, was money. Gaines had the means and knew which palms to grease, while Rivington watched English sails slip from New York’s harbor penniless; scorned till his dying day.
Pro Slavery
Popular belief accepts that slavery was mainly contained in the southern colonies and later states. Scholars are setting such fallacies aside. Throughout America’s colonial history, Rhode Island had been among the world’s principal slave markets; employing hundreds of slave ships that spanned the globe. By the late 1700’s, New York City had a vibrant slave market and one of the highest percentage of slaves per capita of white residents in the American colonies. Most homes and businesses in New York purchased African Americans for social and commerce needs. Throughout his publishing career, Gaine’s papers regularly advertised the sale of slaves and adverts describing runaway slaves. Gaine regularly cashed in on this vigorous market, reported to own several African Americans to provide services for his home, press, and book store; one document recorded his sale of an enslaved cook. It is easy to dismiss Gaine as a man of his time. But he not only took advantage of slavery at a time when many of his colleagues were embracing emancipation, Gaine continued to propagate the vile practice though his publishing business until the newspaperman’ death.
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Sources
Boonshoft, Mark. “The Material Realities of Slavery in Early New York.” April 12, 2016. New York Public Library.
Fellow, Anthony. American Media History. 2008: Cengage Learning Publishing, Boston, MA.
Lee, James Melvin. History of American Journalism. 1917: Houghton Mifflin Company, New York, NY.
New York Heritage Digital Collection. “1773, Advertisement for the sale of a slave and her child, Hugh Gaine.”
Thomas, Isaiah The History of Printing in America with a Biography of Printers in Two Volumes. 1874: Burt Franklin, New York, NY.