The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-01-25
FORMERLY EDITED.
BE-NNINGT ON
NEWSPAPER
Andrew J. Aikens, Who Invent
ed Patented Inside"
DIED IN MILWAUKEE FRIDAY
Native Of Barnard, This State, and
Learned Printers Trade on
Woodstock Age

Andrew J. Aikens general manager
Of the Evening Wisconsin who died at
his home in Milwaukee Friday last,
when a young man was associated
with Charles Lull in the publication of
the Vermont Gazette at Bennington
Center. The following sketch OF Mr..
Aikens' life is taken from the Evening
Wisconsin,:
Andrew Jackson Aikens ,Has born at
Barnard, VT, October 81, 1928. His
patenal ancestors were Scotch. from
Montrose, who settled In Massachu-
sets in 1860, and on his mothers side
he was descended from John Rowland
the last survivor of those who came
over in the Mayflower. He left the
high school at the age Of Is years and
served an apprenticeship in a printing
office of the Woodstock Spirit OF the
lsAge, rising to the position of editor
He afterwards edited a weekly paper
at Bennington, Vt, and later a weekly
At North Adams, Mass. From North
Adams he went to Boston. where he
became a reporter in the Legislature
and served as proof reader in the state
printing office. He took an active in
terest in politics and his ability as an
organizer and campaign speaker was
recognized by his selection as dele
gate from Massachusetts, to the Free
| Soil national convention at Pittsburg
IN 1852. which nominated John p. Hale
for president. His adherence to the
Republican party had always been
| -fnndfact aVH hn ,aA wfO
advocate OF its principles until his
death
Going from Boston to New York, he
was engaged upon the New York Eve
ming Post in 1853 and was semitic the
western states as 8 special correspon-
dent. He visited Milwaukee in the
| spring of 1854 settled here in the early
summer, and soon after became con-
nected with The Evening Wisconsin,
with the late William e. Cramer On
the LIST OF January. 1857, he assumed
the business management OF the news
paper and printing department and
later was admitted to partnership in
the firm then conducted under the
name of William f. Cramer. In 1864
the firm name became William z. &
John +. Cramer and in 1858 Cramer
Aikens G. Cramer. Mr. Aikens was
a man OF broad culture, thoroughly
familiar through daily reading with
the books OF his private library which
consisted OF several thousand volumes
Although advanced in years he was in
daily attendance at his off1ce up tC
within a comparatively few days o.
his death
The method OF printing newspaper:
on one side at a central office and or
the other side at the ofiice of publ
cation commonly called patent in
sides'0 originated with Mr. Aikens II
1863 Mr.. Aikens' improvement upor
the English method of printing auxil
larry newspapers consisted in the ad
dtion to the general news of the pa
per OF a page for general advertising
the compensation for this advertising
partly, and sometimes wholly, payinl
for the cost OF the white paper to the
publisher The firm began the publ
cation of the patent insides" with ad
vertisements in 1864 being the pionee
house in the business. There are nov
more than 10000 papers printed upoI
this plan in the United States-mOr'
than one-half OF the weekly newspa
pers-at a saving OF millions OF dol
lars. Mr.. Aikens founded the News
paper Unions at Chicago. New York
Cincinnati Nashville, Atlanta anC
Memphis.
For three years previous to his az
sumption of the business management
of the Evening Wisconsin, Mr.. AikenI
was city and commercial editor o
the paper. He was secretary OF thu
chamber OF commerce, and published
for three years a compilation OF thu
statistics of the trade and commerce