Stilson Hutchins
Founder of The Washington Post and Democratic Party publisher.
Stilson Hutchins (November 14, 1838 – April 23, 1912) was an American newspaper reporter and publisher who founded the broadsheet *The Washington Post*. He was a Southern sympathizer and openly racist toward African Americans, Asian Americans, and immigrants.
Hutchins was born in Whitefield, New Hampshire, to Stilson Eastman Hutchins and Clara Eaton Hutchins. He moved to Iowa and worked at the *Dubuque Herald*. In 1863, while serving as acting editor during Dennis Mahoney’s absence, Hutchins published an editorial under his own name that intensified the paper’s anti-Black stance, urging readers to reject emancipation and warning against Iowa being “covered with indolent blacks.” He later moved to St. Louis, founded the *Saint Louis Times* in 1866, and served as a Democratic state representative in Missouri.
Relocating to Washington, D.C., Hutchins launched *The Washington Post* on December 6, 1877, to promote Democratic Party views. Within a year, daily circulation exceeded 6,000. In 1889, Hutchins bought out the competing morning paper *The National Republican*. That same year, he sold the *Post* to owners who kept its racist tone. (In 1919, *Post* coverage of a Black man accused of raping a white woman helped spark the Washington race riots, which targeted African Americans and left several people dead.)
In 1889, Hutchins commissioned a statue of Benjamin Franklin for the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and 10th Street, overlooking the *Post* offices. In 1890, he ordered a sculpture of Charles Dickens from Francis Edwin Elwell but later backed out. In 1900, he funded Gaetano Trentanove’s Daniel Webster Memorial at Scott Circle.
In August 1883, Hutchins leased Governor’s Island on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire from Isaiah Morrill for $1,000 per year for 99 years, with an option to buy within 20 years for $20,000. The lease began January 1, 1884, and Hutchins built a mansion there in 1885. In 1903, he rented the mansion to the German ambassador, Baron Speck von Sternburg, who used it as a summer embassy with at least 20 staff. The Baron praised the view as equal to anything in Switzerland or Bavaria, and said his promotion of the area boosted local summer property sales. The Hutchins family sold the mansion in the late 1920s; it burned down on August 1, 1935. While it was once the is
- born
- November 14, 1838, Whitefield, Coos County, New Hampshire
- died
- April 23, 1912, Washington, D.C.
- field
- Newspaper publishing, politics
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Founder of The Washington Post
Lore & Background
Hutchins began his career at the Dubuque Herald in Iowa, where as acting editor in 1863 he published an editorial deepening the paper's stance against African Americans. He later moved to Saint Louis, Missouri, establishing the Saint Louis Times in 1866 and serving as a Missouri state representative for the Democratic Party. He then relocated to Washington, D.C., where he founded The Washington Post, first published on December 6, 1877, to advance Democratic Party views; within a year circulation topped 6,000 copies per day. In 1889, Hutchins bought out Washington's other morning newspaper, The National Republican, and sold The Post later that year to owners who retained the newspaper's racist tone.
Beyond journalism, Hutchins commissioned a statu
Reader's Guide
Stilson Hutchins is historically significant as the founder of The Washington Post, a newspaper that would become one of the most influential in the United States. His career illustrates the intersection of journalism, politics, and racial ideology in the late 19th century. Hutchins used his newspapers to advance Democratic Party views and openly promoted racist positions, particularly against African Americans. His editorial work at the Dubuque Herald and his founding of the Post reflect how media was employed to shape public opinion on race and immigration. The Post's continued racist tone after his sale contributed to the 1919 Washington race riots, which targeted African Americans and left several dead. Hutchins also engaged in civic patronage, commissioning public sculptures in Washington, D.C., and developing property in New Hampshire. His legacy is complex: a newspaper founder whose publication later achieved journalistic renown, but whose personal views and editorial choices were deeply prejudiced.
Did You Know?
- Hutchins printed an editorial in 1863 asking, 'Who wants to vote the (xxx)-emancipation ticket? Who wants Iowa covered with indolent blacks? Answer at the polls.'
- In 1880, Hungarian-born immigrant Joseph Pulitzer joined the staff of The Washington Post.
- Hutchins leased Governor's Island in New Hampshire for 99 years at $1,000 per year, with an option to purchase for $20,000 within 20 years.
- The mansion Hutchins built on Governor's Island burned down on August 1, 1935.
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