Biography

Newspaper Publisher. Born in Cairo, New York, after serving as apprentice and journeyman on several newspapers, he became foreman of the Albany Register, moved to Rochester as editor of the Telegraph 1821. He made the Telegraph one of the most important newspapers in western New York and became part owner in 1825. In 1830, he established the Albany Evening Journal and the paper as political influence for the new Whig party. When he joined the ranks of the Republicans in 1854, he advocated moderate policies and was a loyal supporter of Abraham Lincoln. Sent to Europe in 1861, as a special agent to counteract Confederate propaganda, he returned in 1862 and strongly objected to the Emancipation Proclamation. After the Civil War, he supported President Andrew Johnson and the National Union Party. Although the failure of the National Union Party marked the end of his influence in state politics, he continued to publish and be active in New York City affairs. He died at the age of 85 leaving an estate of over a million dollars in stocks and bonds. His spouse was  Catharine Ostrander Weed (1798 - 1858) and he had four children: Harriet A Weed (1819 - 1893), James Birdsall Weed (1820 - 1851), Maria Weed Alden (1821 - 1896), and Emily Peck Kempshall Weed Barnes (1827 - 1889).