James Gordon Bennett was born at New Mill, Keith, in Banffshire, on the
northeastern coast of Scotland, about the year 1800. His relatives were
Roman Catholics, and he was destined for the priesthood of that church.
He entered the Roman Catholic Seminary at Aberdeen, in 1814, and remained
there two years, acquiring the basis of an excellent education. Chance
having thrown in his way a copy of Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography, he
was so much impressed by it that he abandoned all thought of a clerical
life, and resolved to emigrate to America, which he did in 1819, arriving
in Halifax in May of that year, being then nearly twenty years old. He
had not an acquaintance on this side of the Atlantic, had no profession
save that of a bookkeeper, and had but twenty-five dollars in his pocket.
He began by giving lessons in bookkeeping, in Halifax, but his success
was so poor that he came to the United States, landing at Portland, where
he took passage for Boston. Arriving in Boston he found great difficulty
in procuring employment, and was reduced to the verge of starvation, but
at length obtained a place as a proof-reader. He held this position for
two years, and, having lost it by the failure of his employers, came to
New York in 1822. Soon after this, he accepted an engagement on the
_Charleston_ (S.C.) _Courier_, but held it for a short time only.
Returning to New York he attempted to organize a Commercial School, but
was unsuccessful. He next tried lecturing, with equally bad luck, and
was obliged to renew his connection with the press. He held various
positions on the New York newspapers, in each and all of which he proved
himself a journalist of large ideas and great originality and power. In
1828, he became the Washington correspondent of the _New York Enquirer_,
and in this position inaugurated the style of newspaper correspondence
which is now adopted by all the leading journals of the country. He was
poorly paid for his services, and was obliged to do an immense amount of
miscellaneous literary work in order to earn a bare support. In the
autumn of 1829 he became assistant editor of the _Courier and Enquirer_,
with James Watson Webb as his chief. In this position he did great
service, and really made the success of the paper. He found his position
unpleasant, however, and abandoned it in 1832.
He tried several other expedients, all of which were unsuccessful, and
even tried to induce Horace Greeley, then a struggling printer, to join
him in the establishment of a newspaper. Horace refused, but recommended
him to another printer who accepted his proposition. His next step was
to rent a cellar in Wall street, and in this cellar, on the 6th of May,
1835, the _New York Herald_ was born. The coal vaults of the present
_Herald_ office are an improvement upon the original office, which was
sanctum and counting-house all in one. Mr. Bennett performed all the
work on the paper, except setting it up and printing it. He collected
the news, wrote the contents, sold the paper, and received
advertisements. He worked manfully, but his difficulties were enormous.
He made his little journal spicy, attractive, and even impudent--though
not indecent, as some have wrongly asserted--in the hope of making it
popular. He worked from sixteen to eighteen hours a day, but in spite of
all his efforts he lost money until the end of the third month, after
which he contrived to pay the actual expense of publication for some time
longer. Then a fire destroyed the printing office, and his partners
refused to continue their connection with the paper. By almost
superhuman efforts he succeeded in securing the means of going on with
the _Herald_, and in a short while the "great fire" occurred just in time
to save him. It was the most terrible catastrophe that had ever occurred
in America, and Bennett resolved to profit by it. He went himself among
the ruins, note-book in hand, and the result of his labors was a series
of graphic and accurate reports in the _Herald_ of the disaster, that at
once created a large demand for the paper. This demand did not fall off,
but it was not sufficient to place the _Herald_ on a successful footing.
At this time, Mr. Bennett was fortunate enough to secure a large contract
from Dr. Brandreth for advertising his pills in the _Herald_. The sum
received was very large, and was conscientiously expended in the purchase
of news, and in improving and increasing the attractions of the paper.
At the end of the fifteenth month of its career, Mr. Bennett ventured to
increase the size of the _Herald_, and to raise its price from one to two
cents. Since then the paper has prospered steadily, and is now one of
the wealthiest and most powerful journals in the land, and the best
purveyor of news in the world. Its success is due almost exclusively to
the proprietor. Mr. Bennett has not only built up his own paper, but has
revolutionized the press of the world. This is his chief claim to
distinction.
He rarely writes for the paper now, though he maintains a close
supervision over all parts of it, as well as over the mechanical
department of his enterprise.
[Picture: JAMES GORDON BENNETT.]
He is married, and has two children, a son, James Gordon Bennett, jr.,
who will succeed his father in the ownership of the _Herald_, and a
daughter. He resides on the Fifth avenue. He is said to be a courtly
and agreeable host, and his long and extensive experience as a journalist
has made him one of the best informed men of the day.
In person he is tall and firmly built, and walks with a dignified
carriage. His head is large and his features are prominent and
irregular. He is cross-eyed, and has a thoroughly Scotch face. His
expression is firm and somewhat cold--that of a man who has had a hard
fight with fortune, and has conquered it. He is reserved in his manner
to strangers, but is always courteous and approachable.