John Dunlap

John Dunlap

John Dunlap (1747 – November 27, 1812) was the printer of the first copies of the Declaration of Independence and one of the most successful American printers of his era.

Dunlap was born in Strabane, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. In 1757, when he was ten years old, he went to work as an apprentice to his uncle, William Dunlap, a printer and bookseller in Philadelphia. In 1766, William Dunlap left the business in the care of his nephew. John eventually bought the business, and at first made a living by printing sermons and probably broadsides and handbills too. In November 1771, Dunlap began the publication of the "Pennsylvania Packet, or General Advertiser", a weekly newspaper. In 1773 he married Elizabeth Hayes Ellison.

During the American Revolutionary War, Dunlap became an officer in the First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry, and saw action with George Washington at the battles of Trenton and Princeton. He continued in the First City Troop after the war, rising to the rank of major, and leading Pennsylvania's cavalry militia to help suppress the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794.

In 1776, Dunlap secured a lucrative printing contract for the Continental Congress. In July 1776, fighting between the American colonists and the British forces had been going on for nearly a year. On July 2, the Second Continental Congress voted to declare independence, and on July 4 they agreed to the final wording of the Declaration of Independence. That evening John Hancock ordered Dunlap to print broadside copies of the declaration. Dunlap printed perhaps 200 broadsides, since known as the Dunlap broadsides, which were the first published versions of the Declaration.

Dunlap also printed items for Pennsylvania's revolutionary government. In 1777 he took over the printing of the "Journals of the Continental Congress" from Robert Aitken, but lost the contract in 1779 after printing in his newspaper a letter from Thomas Paine that leaked news of the secret French aid to the Americans.

In 1784, Dunlap's paper became a daily with a new title: the "North American and United States Gazette." It was not the first daily in the United States—the "Pennsylvania Evening Post" beat him to the punch in 1783—but it became the first successful daily.

Dunlap's major financial success came from real estate speculation. During the American Revolution, he bought property confiscated from Loyalists who refused to take Pennsylvania's new loyalty oath. After the war, he bought land in Kentucky. By 1795, when he was forty-eight, he was able to retire with a sizable estate. Retirement did not agree with him, however: according to his friend, Dr. Benjamin Rush, Dunlap became a drunkard in his final years. He died in Philadelphia.

References

*Teeter, Dwight L."Dunlap, John". "American National Biography Online", February 2000.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • John Dunlap (American football) — Infobox NFLactive name=John Dunlap currentteam=Free Agent currentnumber= currentpositionplain=Wide receiver birthdate=birth date and age|1986|1|3 birthplace=Hollywood, California heightft=6 heightin=1 weight=220 debutyear= debutteam=… …   Wikipedia

  • Dunlap House — may refer to: Charles H. Dunlap House, Phoenix, AZ, listed on the NRHP in Arizona Dunlap House (Clarksville, Arkansas), listed on the NRHP in Arkansas Munroe Dunlap Snow House, Macon, GA, listed on the NRHP in Georgia John Dunlap House, Brunswick …   Wikipedia

  • John Dunlop — may refer to: John Boyd Dunlop (1840–1921), Scottish/Irish inventor of the pneumatic tyre and founder of the Dunlop rubber company John Colin Dunlop (c. 1785–1842), Scottish historian John L. Dunlop (born 1939), British horse racing trainer John… …   Wikipedia

  • Dunlap broadside — The Dunlap broadsides were the first published copies of the United States Declaration of Independence, printed on the night of July 4, 1776, by John Dunlap of Philadelphia. It is unknown exactly how many broadsides were originally printed, but… …   Wikipedia

  • Dunlap Community Unit School District 323 — is a public school district in Peoria County, Illinois. It is based near Dunlap, Illinois and has one high school, two middle schools, and four elementary schools. Its territory consists of Radnor Township, northeastern Kickapoo Township, the… …   Wikipedia

  • Dunlap High School — Address 5220 West Legion Hall Road Dunlap, Illinois, Peoria County, 61525 …   Wikipedia

  • Dunlap, Kansas —   City   Location of Dunlap, Kansas …   Wikipedia

  • Dunlap, Iowa —   City   Location of Dunlap, Iowa …   Wikipedia

  • John Elway — Elway in December 2004 No. 7     Denver Broncos Executive Vice President of Football Operations Quarterback …   Wikipedia

  • John Alexander McClernand — Federal Army portrait, wartime Commander of the Army of the Mississippi In office January 4, 1863 – January 12, 18 …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”