Horace Greeley stands as one of the most influential figures in 19th-century American journalism and politics. As the founder and editor of the New York Tribune, Horace Greeley leveraged his powerful platform to advocate for a myriad of social and political reforms, making his newspaper a dominant force in shaping public opinion. Though his political career culminated in an unsuccessful bid for the presidency, his impact as a journalist, abolitionist, and champion of the American West remains undeniable.
Born on February 3, 1811, in Amherst, New Hampshire, Horace Greeley came from humble beginnings. His father’s farm struggled, forcing the family into poverty. Despite their financial hardships, Horace proved to be an exceptionally bright and avid reader. When his father’s debts forced the family to relocate to Vermont in 1820, young Horace continued his self-education, often relying on a neighbor’s library. His early ambition to become a printer’s apprentice was initially thwarted due to his youth.
Early Life and the Path to Journalism
Horace Greeley’s formal schooling ceased at the age of 15 when he secured an apprenticeship at the Northern Spectator newspaper in East Poultney, Vermont, in 1826. Here, he diligently learned the intricacies of the printing trade and soon advanced to an assistant editorial role, marking his official entry into the world of journalism. When the Northern Spectator closed in 1830, Greeley briefly reunited with his family in Pennsylvania before embarking on a determined quest for newspaper employment, which led him to the Erie Gazette.
Driven by greater aspirations, Greeley eventually made his way to New York City in 1831 with only ten dollars in his pocket. Despite his lack of connections, he quickly found work contributing to and editing various publications. It was in New York that he met Mary Young Cheney, a schoolteacher, whom he married in Warrenton, North Carolina, on July 5, 1836. The couple would go on to have five children.
The Birth of the New York Tribune and Its Influence
Horace Greeley’s political involvement began with the Whig Party, where he played a crucial role in William Henry Harrison’s successful 1840 presidential campaign. Building on this momentum, he founded the New York Tribune in 1841. The Tribune quickly garnered public acclaim for its independent stance and strong civic spirit. Through its popular weekly editions distributed by mail, it rapidly became the highest-circulating newspaper in the nation, providing Greeley with an unparalleled platform for his ideas.
Greeley used the Tribune to champion a wide array of reforms. He initially supported Henry Clay for president in 1844, but soon after, the Tribune became a vocal opponent of the institution of slavery. Beyond abolitionism, Greeley was a tireless advocate for utopian reforms such as socialism, vegetarianism, agrarianism, feminism, and temperance. He was also renowned for hiring some of the era’s best journalistic talent.
“Go West, Young Man”
Perhaps one of Horace Greeley’s most enduring contributions was popularizing the phrase, “Go West, young man, and grow up with the country.” While he did not coin the exact phrase, he enthusiastically promoted the settlement of the American West, viewing it as a land of boundless opportunity for the ambitious and the unemployed. In 1859, he embarked on a significant journey to California, documenting his observations for the Tribune and advocating for a transcontinental railroad. His travels took him through Chicago, Kansas Territory—where he spoke at the first-ever Kansas Republican Party Convention—and on to Denver, then a burgeoning Pike’s Peak Gold Rush mining camp. He famously conducted a two-hour interview with Mormon leader Brigham Young in Salt Lake City, a groundbreaking moment in newspaper journalism. During his travels, Greeley also encountered Native Americans, expressing sympathy but, like many of his era, viewed their culture as inferior.
A Political Force During the Civil War
As the nation spiraled towards conflict, Greeley initially favored a peaceful division of the republic. However, once the Civil War erupted with overt attacks on the government, he became a fervent proponent of vigorously prosecuting the war. By 1860, the Tribune’s circulation had soared to nearly 288,000, cementing Greeley’s national reputation as a political authority, moralist, and social crusader. He was an early member of the new Republican Party and, despite initial reservations about Abraham Lincoln’s nomination in 1860, ultimately lent his support. He believed that even the dissolution of the Union was preferable to any compromise that extended slavery, becoming one of the most vocal supporters of the Union cause.
However, Greeley’s political stances were often complex and sometimes contradictory. Convinced that Lincoln could not secure reelection in 1864, he initially hesitated to endorse him. His persistent drive for peace led him to attempt direct, albeit unsuccessful, negotiations with the Confederacy in 1864, an effort that brought him widespread ridicule.
The Ill-Fated Presidential Campaign of 1872
Following the Civil War, Horace Greeley advocated for conciliatory measures, universal amnesty, and universal suffrage. His controversial act of signing Jefferson Davis’s bail bond in 1867 alienated many Northern allies who sought retribution for treason. This gesture, coupled with his critiques of President Andrew Johnson’s Reconstruction policies, further highlighted his often-complex political positions and cost the Tribune half its subscribers.
Disillusioned with President Ulysses S. Grant’s administration, Greeley joined forces with others to form the Liberal Republican Party, a faction that split from the mainstream Republicans. In 1872, the Liberal Republicans nominated Greeley for the presidency. He resigned as editor of the Tribune to embark on an extensive, unprecedented speaking tour, taking his message directly to the American people. However, his campaign struggled amidst attacks from both sides, with critics labeling him everything from a national traitor to a simple country bumpkin. His often-conflicting past positions further confused the electorate.
Tragedy struck just days before the election when his wife, Mary, passed away on October 30, 1872, plunging him into profound despair. Compounded by the desertion of many long-time political friends, the immense toll of the campaign left him a broken man. He was soundly defeated by Ulysses S. Grant, who won a second term.
Decline, Death, and Enduring Legacy
After his devastating electoral loss, Greeley was denied the editorship of his beloved New York Tribune, a final blow that significantly accelerated his health’s decline. At the recommendation of a family physician, he was admitted to Choate House, an asylum in Pleasantville, New York. His condition worsened, and he died on November 29, 1872, less than a month after the presidential election. He was laid to rest in Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery.
Despite the bitter divisiveness of his presidential campaign, Horace Greeley’s death prompted widespread mourning across the nation. Harper’s Weekly wrote, “Since the assassination of Mr. Lincoln, the death of no American has been so sincerely deplored as that of Horace Greeley, and its tragical circumstances have given a peculiarly affectionate pathos to all that has been said of him.”
The New York Tribune continued under its original name until 1924, when it merged with the New York Herald to become the New York Herald-Tribune, a publication that endured until 1966. Its legacy, in part, continued through the International Herald-Tribune, which later became the International New York Times in 2013.
Historian Iver Bernstein aptly summarized Greeley’s multifaceted impact: “Greeley was an eclectic and unsystematic thinker, a one-man switchboard for the international cause of “Reform.” He committed himself, all at once, to utopian and artisan socialism, to land, sexual, and dietary reform, and, of course, to anti-slavery. Indeed, Greeley’s great significance was in the culture and politics of the Civil War.”
Conclusion
Horace Greeley’s life was a testament to the power of the press and the complexities of political idealism. From a penniless printer’s apprentice to the editor of America’s most influential newspaper, he tirelessly championed progressive causes and shaped public discourse. While his later political endeavors and personal tragedies cast a somber shadow, his legacy as a journalist, reformer, and an indelible voice of his era remains firmly etched in American history. His famous exhortation to “Go West, young man” continues to symbolize the enduring spirit of American opportunity and expansion.
