James Perry (journalist)
Encyclopedia
James Perry, born James Pirie (30 October 1756 – 4 December 1821) was a British
journalist and newspaper editor.
Admitted to Marischal College, Aberdeen in 1771, he began studying for the Scottish bar
. Forced to abandon his studies after his father's building business failed in 1774, he moved to London
in 1777. He became a reporter for The General Advertiser and the London Evening Post
, where he raised sales in 1779 by his court reporting from the Portsmouth trial of Admiral Keppel
and Admiral Palliser
. He established The European Magazine
in 1782, leaving it a year later to edit The Gazeteer as 'the Paper of the People'. In 1790 he managed to become owner and editor of the Morning Chronicle
. In 1791-2 he reported from Paris on the progress of the French Revolution
. His political influence was sufficient for Pitt and Lord Shelburne to offer him a parliamentary seat, though he refused. His Foxite
journalism occasionally led to government prosecution. On two occasions he was acquitted: for printing an advertisement for a Derby meeting of the Society for Constitutional Information
in 1792, and for copying a paragraph from Leigh Hunt's Examiner
about the Prince of Wales in 1810. However, he was sentenced to three months imprisonment in Newgate for allegedly libelling the house in 1798.
In August 1798 he married Anne Hull: their eight children included the Indian judge and politician Thomas Erskine Perry
(1806–1882).
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
journalist and newspaper editor.
Admitted to Marischal College, Aberdeen in 1771, he began studying for the Scottish bar
Faculty of Advocates
The Faculty of Advocates is an independent body of lawyers who have been admitted to practise as advocates before the courts of Scotland, especially the Court of Session and the High Court of Justiciary...
. Forced to abandon his studies after his father's building business failed in 1774, he moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1777. He became a reporter for The General Advertiser and the London Evening Post
London Evening Post
The London Evening Post was a pro-Jacobite Tory English newspaper published in Great Britain from 1727 until 1797....
, where he raised sales in 1779 by his court reporting from the Portsmouth trial of Admiral Keppel
Augustus Keppel, 1st Viscount Keppel
Admiral Augustus Keppel, 1st Viscount Keppel PC was an officer of the Royal Navy during the Seven Years' War and the War of American Independence...
and Admiral Palliser
Hugh Palliser
Admiral Sir Hugh Palliser, 1st Baronet was an officer of the British Royal Navy during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War...
. He established The European Magazine
The European Magazine
European Magazine, published in London, ran from 1782 until 1826, publishing eighty-nine volumes. As the European Magazine, and London Review it was launched in January 1782, promising to offer "the Literature, History, Politics, Arts, Manners, and Amusements of the Age." It was in direct...
in 1782, leaving it a year later to edit The Gazeteer as 'the Paper of the People'. In 1790 he managed to become owner and editor of the Morning Chronicle
Morning Chronicle
The Morning Chronicle was a newspaper founded in 1769 in London, England, and published under various owners until 1862. It was most notable for having been the first employer of Charles Dickens, and for publishing the articles by Henry Mayhew which were collected and published in book format in...
. In 1791-2 he reported from Paris on the progress of the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
. His political influence was sufficient for Pitt and Lord Shelburne to offer him a parliamentary seat, though he refused. His Foxite
Foxite
The term Foxite generally refers to an 18th or 19th century British Whig politician who adhered to the ideals and political beliefs of Charles James Fox, the 18th century member of parliament and leader of the Whig party....
journalism occasionally led to government prosecution. On two occasions he was acquitted: for printing an advertisement for a Derby meeting of the Society for Constitutional Information
Society for Constitutional Information
Founded in 1780 by Major John Cartwright to promote parliamentary reform, the Society for Constitutional Information flourished until 1783, but thereafter made little headway...
in 1792, and for copying a paragraph from Leigh Hunt's Examiner
Examiner
The Examiner was a weekly paper founded by Leigh and John Hunt in 1808. For the first fifty years it was a leading intellectual journal expounding radical principles, but from 1865 it repeatedly changed hands and political allegiance, resulting in a rapid decline in readership and loss of...
about the Prince of Wales in 1810. However, he was sentenced to three months imprisonment in Newgate for allegedly libelling the house in 1798.
In August 1798 he married Anne Hull: their eight children included the Indian judge and politician Thomas Erskine Perry
Thomas Erskine Perry
- External links :...
(1806–1882).
External links
- E. A. Smith, ‘Perry , James (1756–1821)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004, accessed 19 Dec 2007