James Pearson Newcomb
Encyclopedia
James Pearson Newcomb was a journalist
and Secretary of State of Texas
. He was a Republican
. Appointed by Governor Edmund J. Davis
, he served between January 1, 1870 and January 17, 1874.
Newcomb was born in Amherst, Nova Scotia
. With his parents and a brother, in 1839 he emigrated to Victoria, Texas
. His mother died in 1841 and the family relocated to San Antonio
. James Newcomb was 12 when his father, a lawyer, died of cholera in 1849. He was then apprenticed to a publisher.
As a young man he became a journalist and later publisher and editor of newspapers in Texas and California. One of his first ventures was the Alamo Express. It was a pro-Union newspaper, and in 1861 it was mobbed by anti-union supporters, the Knights of the Golden Circle
. Newcomb was forced to flee, traveling first to Mexico and then to California where he remained until 1867. In California, in 1862 he acted as a scout for James Henry Carleton
's California Column
, the longest trek through desert terrain ever attempted by the U.S. military. Following that campaign, in 1863 he returned to San Francisco where he published Sketch of Secession Times in Texas and Journal of Travel from Texas through Mexico to California in which he provided his theory of the secession movement that led to the American Civil War, blaming it on conspirators. After editing a handful of newspapers in California and starting one, the San Jose Times, which failed, he returned to Texas. He purchased an interest in the San Antonio Express
, which proved highly successful. His positive articles attracted the interest of Governor Davis who appointed him Secretary of State in 1870. After leaving government, he studied law, though he practiced little.
In January 1881, with A. W. Gifford he began publishing the Evening Light, a competitor to the Express. The Light was a popular newspaper for several decades, though Newcomb left it in 1883. In the ensuing years, he ran for office several times and launched other newspapers. He was appointed postmaster of San Antonio in 1883. He retired to a farm outside San Antonio where he died in 1907.
He was married twice. Children survived him from his second marriage. His papers are held at the Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin.
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and Secretary of State of Texas
Secretary of State of Texas
The Secretary of State of Texas is one of six state officials designated by the Texas Constitution to form the executive department of that U.S. state...
. He was a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
. Appointed by Governor Edmund J. Davis
Edmund J. Davis
Edmund Jackson Davis was an American lawyer, soldier, and politician. He was a Southern Unionist and served as a Union general in the American Civil War, besides serving one term as the 14th Governor of Texas.-Early years:...
, he served between January 1, 1870 and January 17, 1874.
Newcomb was born in Amherst, Nova Scotia
Amherst, Nova Scotia
Amherst is a Canadian town in northwestern Cumberland County, Nova Scotia.Located at the northeast end of the Cumberland Basin, an arm of the Bay of Fundy, Amherst is strategically situated on the eastern boundary of the Tantramar Marshes 3 kilometres east of the interprovincial border with New...
. With his parents and a brother, in 1839 he emigrated to Victoria, Texas
Victoria, Texas
Victoria is a city in and the seat of Victoria County, Texas, United States. The population was 60,603 at the 2000 census. The three counties of the Victoria Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 111,163 at the 2000 census,...
. His mother died in 1841 and the family relocated to San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
. James Newcomb was 12 when his father, a lawyer, died of cholera in 1849. He was then apprenticed to a publisher.
As a young man he became a journalist and later publisher and editor of newspapers in Texas and California. One of his first ventures was the Alamo Express. It was a pro-Union newspaper, and in 1861 it was mobbed by anti-union supporters, the Knights of the Golden Circle
Knights of the Golden Circle
The Knights of the Golden Circle was a secret society. Some researchers believe the objective of the KGC was to prepare the way for annexation of a golden circle of territories in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean for inclusion in the United States as slave states...
. Newcomb was forced to flee, traveling first to Mexico and then to California where he remained until 1867. In California, in 1862 he acted as a scout for James Henry Carleton
James Henry Carleton
James Henry Carleton was an officer in the Union army during the American Civil War. Carleton is most well known as an Indian fighter in the southwestern United States.-Biography:...
's California Column
California Column
The California Column, a force of Union volunteers, marched from April to August 1862 over 900 miles from California, across the southern New Mexico Territory to the Rio Grande and then into western Texas during the American Civil War. At the time, this was the longest trek through desert terrain...
, the longest trek through desert terrain ever attempted by the U.S. military. Following that campaign, in 1863 he returned to San Francisco where he published Sketch of Secession Times in Texas and Journal of Travel from Texas through Mexico to California in which he provided his theory of the secession movement that led to the American Civil War, blaming it on conspirators. After editing a handful of newspapers in California and starting one, the San Jose Times, which failed, he returned to Texas. He purchased an interest in the San Antonio Express
San Antonio Express-News
The San Antonio Express-News is the daily newspaper of San Antonio, Texas. It is ranked as the third-largest daily newspaper in the state of Texas in terms of circulation, and is one of the leading news sources of South Texas, with offices in Austin, Brownsville, Laredo, and Mexico City...
, which proved highly successful. His positive articles attracted the interest of Governor Davis who appointed him Secretary of State in 1870. After leaving government, he studied law, though he practiced little.
In January 1881, with A. W. Gifford he began publishing the Evening Light, a competitor to the Express. The Light was a popular newspaper for several decades, though Newcomb left it in 1883. In the ensuing years, he ran for office several times and launched other newspapers. He was appointed postmaster of San Antonio in 1883. He retired to a farm outside San Antonio where he died in 1907.
He was married twice. Children survived him from his second marriage. His papers are held at the Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin.
Further reading
- James Pearson Newcomb, Sketch of Secession Times in Texas and Journal of Travel from Texas through Mexico to California 1863
- Dale A. Somers, James P. Newcomb: The Making of a Radical, Southwestern Historical Quarterly 72 (April 1969).