Columbian Centinel

The Columbian Centinel (1790–1840) was a Boston, Massachusetts, newspaper established by Benjamin Russell. It continued its predecessor, the Massachusetts Centinel and the Republican Journal, which Russell and partner William Warden had first issued on March 24, 1784.^[1] The paper was "the most influential and enterprising paper in Massachusetts after the Revolution."^[2] In the Federalist Era, the newspaper was aligned with Federalist sentiment. Until c. 1800 its circulation was the largest in Boston, and its closest competitor was the anti-Federalist Independent Chronicle ("the compliments that were frequently exchanged by these journalistic adversaries were more forcible than polite").^[3]

Columbian Centinel

Type	Semi-weekly newspaper
Founded	June 16, 1790; 235 years ago (1790-06-16)
Language	English
Ceased publication	May 23, 1840; 185 years ago (1840-05-23)
Headquarters	Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Russell "can be justly characterized as the Horace Greeley of his time."^[4] In 1828 Russell sold the Centinel to Joseph T. Adams and Thomas Hudson, who continued publishing it.^[5] In 1840, the Centinel merged with a number of other Boston papers—the Independent Chronicle & Boston Patriot, the Boston Commercial Gazette, and the New-England Palladium—to form the Boston Semi-weekly Advertiser,^[6] which eventually became the Boston Herald.

Titles

• The Massachusetts Centinel: and the Republican Journal. Mar. 24 – Oct. 13, 1784.
• The Massachusetts Centinel. Oct. 16, 1784 – June 12, 1790.
• Columbian Centinel. June 16, 1790 – Oct. 2, 1799.
• Columbian Centinel & Massachusetts Federalist. Oct. 5, 1799 – July 2, 1800.
• Columbian Centinel. Massachusetts Federalist. July 5 – Dec. 31, 1800.
• Columbian Centinel. Sept. 5, 1804 – May 23, 1840.