THE ADVOCATE (STAMFORD)

'''The Advocate''' is the daily newspaper in Stamford, Connecticut. Its current headquarters are at 75 Tresser Boulevard in downtown Stamford, across the street from the Stamford Government Center. The newspaper is currently owned by the Tribune Company. In March 2007, Tribune Co. announced that it was selling The Advocate to Gannett, but the deal was cancelled in May due to grievances filed by unionized newsroom employees.
The Advocate's Web site was launched in 1999. [1]. In early 2007, the site started featuring message boards where readers could comment on certain issues pertinent to the Stamford area, such as development, traffic and local politics.
The newspaper is distributed in Stamford, along with the nearby towns of Darien and New Canaan. There is also an edition that serves Norwalk. The latter was launched in 2003. In addition to the regular focus on local news, sports and business, The Advocate pays special attention to the workings of Metro-North Railroad through the "Railroad Ties" column, since many in southwestern Connecticut commute by train.
The combined circulation of The Advocate and Greenwich Time is 39,623 for weekdays and 41,674 in the greater Stamford area. [2].

Contents

History

Early history

Nineteenth-century name changes

Later nineteenth century

Twentieth and twenty-first centuries

Locations of historical archives

Notes

External links

History

Founded in 1829 as ''The Stamford Intelligencer'', the newspaper was renamed several times in the 1830s and 1840s before becoming ''The Stamford Advocate'' (the name many still use) in 1843.^[1] ''The Advocate'' has been called Stamford's oldest continuing business.Russell, Don, ''The Advocate has historic roots here: Newspaper is city's oldest employer'', editorial (opinion) column by Russell, a columnist for the newspaper, in ''The Advocate'', April 11, 2007, page A16, both Stamford and Norwalk editions

Early history

The earliest origins of ''The Advocate'' come from ''The Intelligencer'', a newspaper originally run out of a small office on the south side of West Park (now Columbus Park in downtown Stamford) in April 1829. William Henry "Hen" Holly installed a printing press there, but, despite some support from the community, he closed the publication after a few months for lack of revenue.Russell, Don, ''The Advocate has historic roots here: Newspaper is city's oldest employer'', editorial (opinion) column by Russell, a columnist for the newspaper, in ''The Advocate'', April 11, 2007, page A16, both Stamford and Norwalk editions"Our back pages:", a no-byline sidebar to "The Advocate sold to Gannett" article by Richard Lee in ''The Advocate'' of Stamford, March 7, 2007
Several town leaders then helped to finance the publication again, this time under the name ''The Sentinel'', which first appeared on February 16, 1830. Stamford was never without a local newspaper of one kind or another since then.
The oldest known copy of ''The Sentinel'', dated June 22, 1830, is in the Ferguson Library. That issue, marked Volume 1, No. 19, consists of four sheets, 15 by 20 inches each, with six columns to a page. The motto of the newspaper, printed at the top of the front page, reads: "Pledged to no party's arbitrary way, we follow Truth wher'er she leads the way."
The newspaper published very little local news, according to Don Russell, an ''Advocate'' columnist who wrote about the early history of the paper. "[T]he columns were filled with sermons, poems and what were called literary 'gems' from various sources, and some domestic and foreign news items taken from newspapers in big cities."
An early columnist in the newspaper wrote under the pseudonym "Aristides the Younger" and at one point denounced the Rev. Joel Mann of Greenwich for anti-Masonic tendencies. Some think the columnist was Holly.
Holly promoted reading in Stamford in various ways, operating his own circulating library out of his office, with books available to borrowers he deemed responsible. He was also one of the major founders of Stamford's public library, the Ferguson.

Nineteenth-century name changes

''The Advocate'' has been known by various names:Roth, David M., editor, and Grenier, Judith Arnold, associate editor, "Connecticut History and Culture: An Historical overview and Resource Guide for Teachers", published by the Connecticut Historical Commission, 1985, pp 426-427

★ ''Stamford Intelligencer'' April 8, 1829, when the newspaper had a brief run as a weekly, to February __, 1830

★ ''Stamford Sentinel'' February 15, 1830, when the newspaper was restarted, to August 17, 1835 and again from October 5, 1835 to March 13, 1837

★ ''Democratic Sentinel'' — March 19, 1838 to July __, 1840

★ ''Farmer's Advocate''

★ ''The Farmer and Mechanic's Advocate,'' (the comma was part of the title) — June 15, 1842 to some date in 1843

★ ''Daily Advocate'' starting at some date in 1843 and until March 30, 1922

Later nineteenth century

In May 1848, Edgar Hoyt and Andrew Smith came into ownership of the newspaper. The partners renamed it ''The Stamford Advocate''. Advertising was banished from the front page.
In 1861 printer William Gillespie and his brother, Edward, joined the newspaper staff. Edward woul dlater cover the Civil War from the frontlines. Eventually the Gillespie brothers, sons of a Canadian immigrant to Stamford, bought the newspaper and became the first of three generations of Gillespie owners of the publication.
In 1892 they made the newspaper a daily. Around the turn of the century the name changed to ''The Daily Advocate''. The name was later changed to ''The Stamford Advocate''.

Twentieth and twenty-first centuries

In the late 1940s, the 1947 film Boomerang, directed by Elia Kazan was shot almost entirely in Stamford, and partly at the newspaper's offices, then on Atlantic Street. Some members of the editorial staff were shown in the movie.Russell, Don, "'Roles' in movies are nothing new for city: Kazan used Stamford in the '40s", editorial page column in ''The Advocate'', Stamford edition, page A10, April 25, 2007
In 1974, the name was changed to ''The Advocate''.
In 1977 the Times Mirror Co., owner of the ''Los Angeles Times'', bought the newspaper from the Gillespie family.
In 1978, Anthony Dolan, a staff writer at the time, won a Pulitzer Prize for reporting on city corruption. Dolan would go on to become a speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan.
In 1980, the newspaper moved to its current address at the corner of Tresser Boulevard and Washington Avenue in downtown Stamford.
In June 2000, the Tribune Company bought Times Mirror and ''The Advocate'' and ''Greenwich Time'' became part of that newspaper chain, along with the rest of the Times Mirror publications.
In May 2003 ''The Advocate'' opened an office at 605 West Ave. in Norwalk. The newspaper already had started a Norwalk edition.
On March 6, 2007, the Tribune Co. sold ''The Advocate'' and ''Greenwich Time'' to Gannett for $73 million. The sale was held up in court by Local 2110 of the United Auto Workers, the union representing about 35 Advocate employees (including newsroom employees), after employees were told the union contract was not recognized by the Tribune Co.

Locations of historical archives

Depositories:
Microfilm:

★ Connecticut State Library:

★
★ April 8, 1829 to August 18, 1904 (Under other titles)

★
★ April 5, 1892 to December 1955

★
★ January 1967 to December 1971

★
★ January 1975 to present (as of 1985)

★ Ferguson Library in Stamford:

★
★ April 5, 1892 to present

★ New Canaan High School: 1829-1880
Originals:

★ Connecticut State Library:

★
★ 1853-1867

★
★ 1880

★
★ 1890

★
★ 1892-1895

★ Ferguson Library in Stamford: 1829-1904

Notes

1. [3]

External links

★ Stamford edition of ''The Advocate''

★ Norwalk edition of ''The Advocate''