John Sherburne Sleeper
Encyclopedia
John Sherburne Sleeper was an American
sailor, ship master, novelist (who used the pseudo name of Hawser Martingale), journalist and politician.
, News-Letter, editor and proprietor of The Lowell Daily Journal and editor and part proprietor of The Boston Mercantile Journal
. later The Boston Journal
Sleeper purchased The Lowell Daily Journal on May 15, 1833 and ran the paper in partnership with H. Hastings Weld, however the partnership lasted only a few months resulting in financial distress for Mr. Weld and Sleeper's moving on to work for the The Boston Mercantile Journal
. Sleeper was the editor of The Boston Mercantile Journal
, later The Boston Journal
from 1834 to 1854.
, the Massachusetts Senate
, the Massachusetts House of Representatives
and, from 1856 to 1858, as the sixth Mayor
of Roxbury, Massachusetts
.
Sleeper was a contestant for the third congressional district of Massachusetts for the election held on November 4, 1862. Although originally ahead in the vote totals, Alexander Rice
was later declared the winner by 25 votes (5,045 to 5,020).
Sleeper was a member of the First Congregational Church in Roxbury, Massachusetts.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sailor, ship master, novelist (who used the pseudo name of Hawser Martingale), journalist and politician.
Life at Sea
Sleeper spent 22 years in the merchant marine service shipping out of the port of Boston as a sailor, officer and shipmaster.Journalism career
Sleeper was the publisher and editor of the Exeter, New HampshireExeter, New Hampshire
Exeter is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The town's population was 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county offices were moved to neighboring Brentwood...
, News-Letter, editor and proprietor of The Lowell Daily Journal and editor and part proprietor of The Boston Mercantile Journal
The Boston Journal
The Boston Journal was a daily newspaper published in Boston, Massachusetts from 1833 until October 1917 when it was merged with the Boston Herald....
. later The Boston Journal
The Boston Journal
The Boston Journal was a daily newspaper published in Boston, Massachusetts from 1833 until October 1917 when it was merged with the Boston Herald....
Sleeper purchased The Lowell Daily Journal on May 15, 1833 and ran the paper in partnership with H. Hastings Weld, however the partnership lasted only a few months resulting in financial distress for Mr. Weld and Sleeper's moving on to work for the The Boston Mercantile Journal
The Boston Journal
The Boston Journal was a daily newspaper published in Boston, Massachusetts from 1833 until October 1917 when it was merged with the Boston Herald....
. Sleeper was the editor of The Boston Mercantile Journal
The Boston Journal
The Boston Journal was a daily newspaper published in Boston, Massachusetts from 1833 until October 1917 when it was merged with the Boston Herald....
, later The Boston Journal
The Boston Journal
The Boston Journal was a daily newspaper published in Boston, Massachusetts from 1833 until October 1917 when it was merged with the Boston Herald....
from 1834 to 1854.
Public Service Career
Sleeper served as a member of the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention of 1853Massachusetts Constitutional Convention of 1853
The Massachusetts Constitutional Convention of 1853 met in order to consider changes to the Massachusetts Constitution. This was the third such convention in Massachusetts history; the first, in 1779–80, had drawn up the original document, while the second, in 1820-21, submitted the first nine...
, the Massachusetts Senate
Massachusetts Senate
The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the state...
, the Massachusetts House of Representatives
Massachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...
and, from 1856 to 1858, as the sixth Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Roxbury, Massachusetts
Roxbury, Massachusetts
Roxbury is a dissolved municipality and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was one of the first towns founded in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630, and became a city in 1846 until annexed to Boston on January 5, 1868...
.
Sleeper was a contestant for the third congressional district of Massachusetts for the election held on November 4, 1862. Although originally ahead in the vote totals, Alexander Rice
Alexander H. Rice
Alexander Hamilton Rice was Mayor of Boston, Massachusetts from 1856–1857, a U.S. Congressman during the American Civil War, and the 30th Governor of Massachusetts from 1876–78.-Biography:...
was later declared the winner by 25 votes (5,045 to 5,020).
Sleeper was a member of the First Congregational Church in Roxbury, Massachusetts.
Books
- A Whale Adventure in the Pacific (1841).
- Tales of the Ocean (1842).
- Salt Water Bubbles: Or, Life on the Wave (1854).
- Ocean Adventures: Or, Cabin and Forecastle Yarns of Thrilling Incidents (1857).
- Jack in the Forecastle (1860).
- Mark Rowland; A tale of the Sea (1867).