Samuel Bowles III (February 9, 1826 – January 16, 1878) was an American journalist and newspaper publisher. From 1844 to 1878, he was the publisher and editor of the Springfield Republican, which became a national model for regional newspapers. He was "a pioneer in the establishment of independent journalism".
Early life
Bowles was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, to Huldah (née Deming) and Samuel Bowles Jr. His father established the Springfield Weekly Republican newspaper in 1824. Growing up, Bowles shared a room with three of his father's apprentices and delivered newspapers to his father's subscribers. One biographer characterizes his childhood household as "frugal".
Bowles was educated in public schools, but was sent to Master George Eaton's private school in Springfield when he was thirteen. He wanted to attend college, but his father found college was unnecessary to train as a printer. It is also possible that the cost of college was a factor in his decision. At the age of seventeen, Bowles began work in the printing office of the Republican. For the first year, he was a general helper who did mechanical jobs, ran errands, and wrote articles on local topics.
Career
In 1844, Bowles convinced his father to expand the newspaper to include a daily edition. At the time, "daily journalism ... was pioneering work, calling for an exhausting expenditure of personal energy." The first issue of the Daily Evening Republican was published on March 27, 1844. Bowles took on general management of the daily newspaper, while his father continued to publish the weekly edition. The daily paper started with no advertisers and no subscribers. It lost $200 its first year, and only had 200 subscribers after two years. By comparison, the Weekly Republican started with a circulation of 350 copies. Not giving up, Bowles pivoted.
The Republican became a morning paper in December 1845. That change required its editors to work through the night. His father devoted more attention to the business office and finances, while Baldwin took on expanded editorial duties for both the daily and weekly Republican. He was assisted by writer and poet Dr. Josiah Gilbert Holland as editor. After two years, Holland purchased a 25% interest in the newspaper for $3,500. In addition to news, the Republican covered art, charity, farming, literature, local life, religious news, and social affairs, along with poetry, short fiction, political editorials, and sermons. By the fourth year, the morning edition of the Republican had 800 subscribers—giving it the largest circulation of any daily newspaper in New England, outside of Boston. Bowles reinvested profits into equipment and larger facilities.
In 1851 his father died, and the entire management of the newspaper went to the 25-year-old Bowles. He was involved in all aspects of the paper's operations and retained primary editorial control for most of his career. He gained a reputation "as an industrious, bold, and fearless journalist". In 1855, he expanded the paper from a single sheet to a double sheet. The paper gained a national reputation even though it remained mostly regional, focusing on Springfield and surrounding towns. Circulation grew to more than 5,000 for the daily edition and more than 10,000 for the weekly edition. The New York Tribune called it "the best and ablest country journal published on the continent".
After receiving offers for various jobs and newspaper partnerships, in early 1857 Bowles entered into a partnership to publish a new daily paper out of Boston Massachusetts, the Boston Traveller. This project lacked the credibility of other offers, but "was to be Republican, independent, and progressive". He invested $10,000 in the venture and resigned as editor of the Republican so he could be the editor of the Traveller for a salary of $3,000 a year. Unfortunately, the Traveller owners were not united on policy, and there was a lack of capital needed for a successful launch. For four months, Bowles struggled, feeling "thwarted and misunderstood". He resigned and took a trip out West before returning home to his wife and children in Springfield. Josiah Holland generously stepped down as editor-in-chief of the Republican, allowing Bowles to return to his prior role.