Telegraph and Texas Register
Inaugural edition of the Telegraph and Texas Register, published October 10, 1835
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| Type | Weekly (1835–1854) Tri-weekly (1854–1864) Daily (1864–1877) |
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| Owner(s) | Gail Borden, Thomas Borden, Joseph Baker (1835–1837) Francis W. Moore, Jr., Jacob W. Cruger (1837–1851) Francis W. Moore, Jr. (1851–1854) Harvey H. Allen (1854–1856) Edward H. Cushing William J. Hutchins William G. Webb (1867–1873) Allen C. Gray (1874–1877) |
| Founder(s) | Gail Borden, John Pettit Borden, Joseph Baker |
| Founded | August 1835 |
| Language | English |
| Ceased publication | 1877 |
| Headquarters |
San Felipe, Texas (1835–1836) Harrisburg, Texas (1836) Columbia, Texas (1836–1837) Houston (1837–1877) |
| Free online archives | texashistory |
Telegraph and Texas Register (1835–1877) was the second permanent newspaper in Texas. Originally conceived as the Telegraph and Texas Planter, the newspaper was renamed shortly before it began publication, to reflect its new mission to be "a faithful register of passing events". Owners Gail Borden, John Pettit Borden, and Joseph Baker founded the paper in San Felipe de Austin, a community long at the center of Texas politics. The first issue was printed on October 10, 1835, days after the outbreak of the Texas Revolution. The Telegraph continued to report news of the war and the formation of the new Republic of Texas through the end of March 1836. As the Mexican Army approached the colonies in eastern Texas, most residents fled eastward. The owners of the Telegraph and their printing press evacuated on March 30 with the rear guard of the Texian Army. The press was quickly reestablished in Harrisburg. On April 14, Mexican soldiers captured the printing press and threw it into Buffalo Bayou.
The newspaper was reestablished in August 1836 in Columbia. When the 1st Texas Congress named Houston the new capital of the Republic, the Telegraph was relocated to Houston. Faced with financial losses, the Bordens sold the paper to Francis W. Moore, Jr. and Jacob Cruger in 1837. Under Moore's leadership, the newspaper became "the most influential news organ of the Republic of Texas". In 1846, following the annexation of Texas to the United States, the newspaper changed its name to Democratic Telegraph and Texas Register.
Moore purchased Cruger's shares in 1851, then sold the entire newspaper in 1854. The new owner transformed it into a tri-weekly instead of a weekly. When the paper was sold again in 1856, Edward H. Cushing became chief editor. He guided the newspaper through the difficulties of the American Civil War, occasionally printing on wallpaper when newsprint was scarce. Following the war, the paper went through a series of owners and gradually declined until it was shuttered at the end of 1873. In March 1874 it was resurrected and briefly held the largest circulation any newspaper in Houston had ever received. It closed permanently in 1877.
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