John Judson Ames

John Judson Ames (b. May 18, 1821 - July 28, 1861; pen name, "Boston") was a California Pioneer and the editor and proprietor of the first newspaper published in the city of San Diego, California, US.

Ames was a native of Maine and his family were from Marshfield, Massachusetts. The family home was at Calais, Maine, but he was born at Islesboro on May 18, 1821. His father was John Gilkey Ames, a ship builder and coast trader, and his mother, Abigail Dodge. Judson appears to have left home at an early age to make his own way. His account of this reads as follows: "On the day on which we completed our sixteenth year, a wise father turned us out into the world with the parting words: 'Jud, you are now old enough to take care of yourself, and I think there is enough of the Yankee in you to insure your success. If you make a good beginning, I will render you any assistance you may require,—if not, you must try again. Be industrious— practice economy—shun wine and women—and I'll insure you for ten per cent, on your original cost.'" Little is known about Ames's early life, but he appears to have alternated some schooling with a number of sea voyages and several scrapes, until about his 25th year. He had a younger brother, Hudson N. Ames.

About the year 1847, he entered the employ of Henry O'Reilly, the builder of pioneer telegraph lines, and aided in the construction of the first through line from Memphis southward to New Orleans. Soon after his arrival in Louisiana, he turned his attention to newspaper work and established, at Baton Rouge, the new capital of that State, a paper which he called The Dime Catcher, and devoted his energies to the support of General Zachary Taylor's candidacy in the presidential campaign of 1848.

The excitement caused by the 1848 gold find in California reached Louisiana. Ames soon caught the gold fever, closed his office, and went to California via the Isthmus of Panama. He landed in San Francisco on October 28, 1849, without any money. Borrowing a handcart, he began hauling trunks and luggage, and always kept as a souvenir the first piece of money he earned at this employment. He was soon able to advance to the occupation of newspaper writer, and was for a time connected, in an editorial role, with the Placer Times and Transcript. He also wrote for other newspapers under his favorite pen-name of "Boston". In 1850, he made a trip to Honolulu, and it was probably immediately upon his return that he learned of the need to establish a newspaper in San Diego's New Town. He paid a visit to San Diego and issued a prospectus in December, 1850. There were similar interests in Los Angeles for the establishment of a newspaper. The first issue of La Estrella de Los Angeles appeared May 17, 1851, and thus it became the pioneer newspaper of the Southwest; Ames's San Diego Herald came out on May 29, just twelve days later.

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