The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-05-02
AN ABLE JOURNALIST.
John G. Reid Has Had an Interesting
and Useful Career. "A

and Useful Career. "A
Especial Correspondence
NEW HAVEN, April 21.-Mr. John G.
Reid, who has recently assumed the
management of the New Haven Palla-
dunn, was for many years an important
figure in the newspaper life of New
York city. For long while Reid was
regarded as in some respects the ablest
news and managing editor in the me-
tropolis, and when the New York Times
was under his management in its news
department. it was regarded as very
great newspaper.
Mr.. Reid came from the west to the
office of The Times, as so many other
men who have made successes in New
York journalism have done. He was a
soldier in the Union army during the
war, and had learned the printers trade,
so that after the war ended he was able
to secure employment in the Office Of
The Times while Henry j. Raymond,
the founder of that paper, was living
Mr.. Reid's ability was very soon recog-
nized, and he was made the assistant OF
Louis J. Jennings, now a member of the
British parliament, but for several years
the editor of The Times after Mr.. Ray
mond's death. 1t was Mr.. Jennings,
aided by Mr.. Reid, who made the ex
posures which resulted in the arrest
and imprisonment of William M. Tweed
and the downfall of the Tammany So
ciety, as it was controlled by Mr., Tweed
and his associates.
Aftel Mr.. Jennings retired from the
New fork Times Mr.: Reid became the
executive manager of that paper. He
was responsible for news, and his re-
sponsibility was admirably fulfilled.
Perhaps the most conspicuous achieve
ment, looking at it purely from the jour-
nalistic point of view, was his announce
ment in The Times on the morning after
the November election of 1876 that Mr..
Tilden was not elected, but that Mr..
Hayes would have a majority of one
vote in the electoral college. Every
other newspaper in the country had con-
ceded the election of Tilden. The ex-
citement which followed the announce
ment of The Times is matter of his
tory, and without going into the merits
of that disputed election it is sufficient
to say that Mr.. Hayes was seated. This
was great journalistic triumph for The
Times.
In 1880, after Garfield became presi-
dent, he offered to Mr.. Reid the post Of
United States marshal for the district in
which New York is included, but he de-
clined the honor, Mr.. Reid was always
an ardent Republican in politics, and
when The Times deemed it best to sup
port the candidate of the Democratic
party in 1884, Mr.. Reid submitted to the
views of his employers, but he felt that
his usefulness was very greatly i'm
paired, and after awhile resigned from
the paper. He was employed by James
Gordon Bennett to take charge of the
London edition of the New York Herald.
and when that venture proved to be a
failure for Mr.. Bennett, Mr.. Reid re-
turned to New York and for time was
employed in executive capacities by the
New York Recorder and The World.
His political beliefs are SO strong,
however, that he did not find congenial
relations, and while he was offered a
number of important posts he would not
accept them. In Connecticut the feel
ing has been that the party in which
Mr.. Reid has given such devoted service
needed a newspaper organ, and when
The Palladium changed hands Mr.. Reid
was at once offered the post of editorial
manager. That paper had been fol
many years one Of the two leading
organs in the state of the party, the
Hartford Courant being the other. Able
journalists have been connected with it.
James F. Babcock, who was a politician
and editor of great influence, owned the
paper for many years. Cyrus Northrop
now president of the Minnesota State
university, and for a number of years
professor of English literature at Yale,
was its editor for awhile. VIM. Fl. Croft
fut, the well known newspaper CORE
spondent, was also for brief period
editor of it, and George G. Holt, one Of
the ablest young lawyers Of New York
city, conducted it for year or two.
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