The Austin Statesman
Austin, Travis County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Begun as the "Democratic Statesman" in 1871 by the Democratic Party, in opposition to radical Reconstruction government in Texas. Quickly passed into private ownership popular first editor was attorney John Cardwell. Published daily since 1873, paper merged with "Austin American" in 1924. (1970)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In the bruising years after the Civil War, Texas Democrats founded this newspaper in 1871 to push back against the state's Reconstruction government. It soon passed into private hands, found an early champion in attorney-editor John Cardwell, and began publishing daily in 1873. In 1924 it merged with the Austin American, forming a lineage behind one of the capital's enduring papers.
Why it matters
Partisan newspapers were the loudspeakers of Reconstruction-era politics, and this one chronicles how a frontier capital argued its way into the modern age.
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Related people
- · John Cardwell
Related events
- · Reconstruction in Texas
Themes & tags
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