By any standard, Thomas Ritchie's Richmond Enquirer was one of the most influential newspapers in antebellum America. Widely read and discussed, the Enquirer set the standard for southern journalism in the first half of the 19th century.
Ritchie, respected for his talents and devotion to his craft, inspired the Democratic party faithful and struck fear in the hearts of those who opposed him. Dubbed "Father Ritchie " and the "Napoleon of the Press," the editor was well known throughout the country and recognized as a major political figure during the Age of Jackson. Strangely, Ritchie and the Enquirer have received scant attention from modern historians. While some have dismissed him as a party hack and others have praised him as the father of modern journalism, Richie's life and influence has never been adequately or impartially assessed. The tendency has been for historians to cite Ritchie as an example of either the best or the worst of partisan journalism during this period. This polarized view obscures Ritchie's true historical significance as a relatively principled and highly effective editor during a transitional period in both politics and journalism.
In many ways the Enquirer fits the mold of the typical partisan press in antebellum America as described by Hazel Dicken-Garcia, Gerald L. Baldasty, and Carl Osthaus; in other, equally important, ways it does not. Most notably, Ritchie did not hesitate t o oppose party measures or policies if he believed that they violated his person al or political principles. His devotion to these principles, a mixture of Jeffersonian states-rights and classical republicanism, ultimately cost Ritchie supporters, subscribers, and the chance for advancement in the party ranks.
Although Ritchie edited the Polk administration's national organ, the Washington Union, at the end of his career, he quickly found that he was not intellectually or temperamentally suited to the task. His place was in Virginia, guiding its people and preserving its position in the Union; in this he was remarkably successful for more than forty years. That was his true calling and his true significance as a newspaper editor and as a person.
Last updated: November 24, 1997
comments to: commdept@cecasun.utc.edu
