Author: Southwick, Solomon
Biography:
SOUTHWICK, Solomon (1773-1839: ancestry.com)
Southwick was born to the newspaper trade and stayed with it for most of his life. His parents were Solomon and Ann (Gardner) Southwick of Newport RI, where he was born. His father's paper, the Newport Mercury, supported the Revolution and was closed down when the British occupied Newport in 1776, forcing the family to flee and see their property confiscated. Apprenticed to a New York printer, Southwick was employed as a journeyman on the Albany Register in Albany NY in 1791. He gradually assumed editorial duties and became a partner of the Barber brothers, who owned it. In 1795 he married their sister Jane Barber; they had nine children, of whom five grew to adulthood and at least one went into newspaper publishing. Southwick proved to be a good political speaker and writer. By 1800 he had turned to politics. For a time he was successful locally: he served as sheriff of the county, as state printer, president of a bank, and one of the regents of the state university. But after he was accused (and acquitted) of bribing the Speaker of the state assembly, his fortunes turned. He was stripped of the office of state printer, ran up debts, and had to give up the Register. Later newspaper ventures were relatively short-lived. He failed in two attempts at election as state Governor, in 1822 and 1828. Between 1831 and 1837 he gave courses of lectures on the Bible, on temperance, and on self-education, which according to Appleton were popular. His last journalistic venture was in connection with the Family Newspaper, published by his son Alfred. He died suddenly in Albany. He was buried in the Episcopal Cemetery there and later reinterred at Albany Rural Cemetery. (ancestry.com 8 Oct. 2020; ANBO 8 Oct. 2020; Appleton)
Other Names:
- S. Southwick