The Hunterdon County Democrat is a weekly newspaper that serves Hunterdon County, New Jersey. Currently owned by Penn Jersey Advance, Inc., its offices are in Raritan Township. It is one of the largest paid weekly newspapers in New Jersey, with an estimated total circulation of more than 21,000.[1] It is published every Thursday.
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The first newspaper to serve Hunterdon County was The Hunterdon Gazette and Farmers' Weekly Advertiser, established at Flemington on March 24, 1825, by Charles George, who shortened the paper's title to The Hunterdon Gazette in 1829. He discontinued The Gazette on May 2, 1832, but retained his shop in Flemington. He sold this to John S. Brown, who revived the paper on July 18, 1838.[2]
Later that year, on September 5, 1838, a rival newspaper to The Gazette first appeared under the name The Hunterdon Democrat. The editor, George C. Seymour, ensured that the newspaper held to the principles of the Democratic Party. In 1852 Seymour sold the newspaper to Adam Bellis, also a staunch Democrat.[3]
On July 3, 1867, The Hunterdon County Democrat made its debut, taking the place of both The Hunterdon Democrat and the erstwhile Gazette (which had changed its name to The Democrat after having been transformed into a Democratic paper in 1866). The editor during this time was Robert J. Killgore. His son, Anthony Killgore, later took over the editorship, serving until 1922. Alex L. Moreau and D. Howard Moreau then became the owners of The Democrat. Following the death of A.L. Moreau in 1933, D. Howard Moreau became sole owner of the newspaper, until his death on June 7, 1963. After Moreau’s death his son-in-law H. Seely Thomas Jr. became publisher of The Democrat. Thomas hired Edward J. Mack as editor of the newspaper in 1965.[3]
Family ownership continued in the 1980s when Thomas was joined in the publication of the newspaper by his three children, Catherine, John, and Howard. Catherine’s husband, Jay Langley, became editor in 1988, while Mack rejoined the newspaper in 1989 as general manager.[3] Catherine Langley succeeded her father as publisher after his death in 1994.[4]
In February 2001, Penn Jersey Advance, Inc., a unit of Advance Publications (Newhouse), bought The Democrat and its sister publications. Based in Somerville, New Jersey, Penn Jersey Advance is the parent company of NJN Publishing, a network of newspapers in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.[4]
The Democrat purchased The Frenchtown Star in 1932, which had been published in Frenchtown since 1879, and renamed it The Delaware Valley News. In 1949 The Milford Leader was also purchased and combined with The Delaware Valley News.[3] The newspaper was shut down in September 2008.[5][6]
The Democrat launched a free-circulation weekly newspaper, The Hunterdon Observer, in August 1987.[3] Another free weekly, The Warren Reporter, serves Warren County. A monthly magazine, Horse News, is also a member of The Democrat's publishing group. Penn Jersey Advance bought The Delaware Valley News, The Hunterdon Observer, The Warren Reporter, and Horse News in its 2001 acquisition of The Democrat.
Hunterdon County Democrat website
Hunterdon County Democrat news on NJ.com
Contact information, NJN Publishing