George H. Colton

George Hooker Colton
Born	(1818-10-15)October 15, 1818 Westford, New York, U.S.
Died	December 1, 1847(1847-12-01) (aged 29)
Alma mater	Yale University
Occupation	Newspaper editor
Years active	1840–1847
Known for	Founding the American Whig Review
Political party	Whig Party

George Hooker Colton (October 15, 1818 – December 1, 1847) was an American newspaper editor who founded The American Review: A Whig Journal in 1844.[1][2] Colton served as the American Whig Review's editor from 1844 until his death in 1847, publishing from New York City.[1][2] After Colton's death, James Davenport Whelpley took over as chief editor.

Early life

George Hooker Colton was born in Westford, New York on October 15, 1818.[1]

Colton attended Yale University and graduated in 1840.[1] After graduating, Colton was briefly a teacher in New Haven, Connecticut before publishing his poem "Tecumseh".[1]

American Whig Review

George Colton founded The American Review: A Whig Journal in 1844 as a monthly periodical published by Wiley and Putnam. Colton was a Whig and founded the review to further the Whig Party's political objectives.[3] The American Review first published in Autumn 1844 but was serialized starting in January 1845.[4]

Relationship with Edgar Allan Poe

In February 1845, Edgar Allan Poe sold his famous poem "The Raven" to Colton's journal after Poe's friend George Rex Graham declined to publish it.[5] Poe continued to publish his poems and other writings through Colton, including the short stories "Some Words with a Mummy" and "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar".

The literary relationship between Poe and Colton continued when, in May 1846, Poe harshly critiqued Colton's poem "Tecumseh".[6] Poe called "Tecumseh" "insufferably tedious", however, Poe offered a shining review of Colton's American Review in the same breadth.[6]

Mexican-American War

In the January 1847 edition of The American Review, one of his last, Colton sharply criticized President James K. Polk over the Mexican–American War.[7] Colton, previously supportive of President Polk, turned against his administration, declaring "[W]e are sick of following the president through the sort of defence he has ventured to set up for invading Mexico."[8]

Death

George Hooker Colton died December 1, 1847, remaining The American Review's "able editor" until death.[1][2] Colton's death was announced in the subsequent edition of The American Review, where longtime colleague James Davenport Whelpley pledged to succeed Colton.[9]

References

1. Connors, Thomas J. (June 1979). "Guide to the Colton Family Papers" (PDF). Yale University Library (in French and English): 6.
2. Statistics of the Class of 1840 (PDF). New Haven, Connecticut. 1871. p. 20.
3. Colton, George H. (1845). "The American Review: A Whig Journal, No. 1". The American Review: A Whig Journal. 1 (1): 2 – via HathiTrust.
4. Colton, George H. (1845). "The American Review: A Whig Journal, No. 1". The American Review: A Whig Journal. 1: 1 – via HathiTrust.
5. Kopley, Richard; Silverman, Kenneth (June 1992). "Edgar A. Poe: Mournful and Never-ending Remembrance". American Literature. 64 (2): 373. doi:10.2307/2927846. ISSN 0002-9831. JSTOR 2927846.
6. Tomc, Sandra (2018-08-08), Kennedy, J. Gerald; Peeples, Scott (eds.), "Edgar Allan Poe and His Enemies", The Oxford Handbook of Edgar Allan Poe, Oxford University Press, pp. 558–575, doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190641870.013.32, ISBN 978-0-19-064187-0, retrieved 2023-07-05
7. Colton, George H. (January 1847). "The American Review: A Whig Journal". The American Review: A Whig Journal. 5 (1): 1–2 – via HathiTrust.
8. Colton, George H. (January 1847). "The American Review: A Whig Journal". The American Review: A Whig Journal. 5 (1): 16 – via HathiTrust.
9. Whelphey, James Davenport; Barnard, D. D. (January 1, 1848). "The American Review: A Whig Journal". The American Review: A Whig Journal. 7 (1): 0 – via HathiTrust.