Illinois newspaper directory. History of the Illinois press association

Illinois Newspaper Directory and HistoryNames to be Acted on in 1934Thomas S.ReesThomas S. Rees was born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, May 13, 1860. He died inSpringfield, Illinois, Saturday, September 8, 193 3. From Pennsylvania his parents movedto Iowa while he was still an infant. Though his father was a well known publisher,Thomas had little opportunity to learn in the family plant because his father died when hewas nine years old and when he was thirteen he was sent to Keokuk, Iowa, to live withan older brother. In his brother's printing office at Keokuk he learned the printer'strade. At the age of nineteen he left Keokuk for two years and extended his knowledgeof the world bv traveling and working in a number of states. He then returnd to Keokukand went into partnership with Henry Clendenin and George Smith in the purchaseand conduct of the Keokuk Constitution. In 1881 the three men sold this paper inKeokuk and bought the Illinois State Register in Springfield. Mr. Rees became businessmanager and Mr. Clendenin editor and Mr. Smith directed the mechanical productionof the plant. Four years later Smith died and Clendenin and Rees became the joint owners.Mr. Clendenin died in 1927 leaving Mr. Rees as publisher and editor. The business managementwas placed in the hands of George M. Clendenin, a son of the elder Clendenin.Mr. Rees was active in editorial affairs from an early date. He served as president ofthe Illinois Press Association in 1891 and was a charter member of the Associated Pressin 1900 and a member of the advisory committee of the association in 1915. On manyoccasions he was a representative at national press meetings. He served one term in theState Senate of Illinois and introduced the first hard roads bill in the State. As an editorand publisher he exerted a fine influence. He lived to be a newspaper publisher torfifty-seven years and head of the State Register organization for fifty-two years. At thetime of his death he was the oldest active daily newspaper publisher in America.Matthew DuncanMatthew Duncan, founder and first editor of the Illinois Herald, brought out hisfirst number of that paper in 1814, four years before Illinois became a State. The paperwas a weekly and was published by Duncan at Kaskaskia, then the territorial capital andthe largest city in the Illinois area. Duncan continued as proprietor and editor of thepaper until 1817 when he sold his plant and paper to Daniel P. Cook and Robert Blackwell.Under him the publication was a creditable one and he fought bravelv against hardshipand difficulty of pioneer days to bring it out regularly and make it worth while for thereaders. Duncan not only published the first newspaper in Illinois but the first pamphlet(1814) and the first book, Volume 1 of Pope's Digest (1815). He was a graduate ofYale University and a brother of Joseph Duncan, sixth governor of the State. He w asborn in Paris, Bourbon county, Kentucky, of Scotch-Irish ancestry. His father. MajorDuncan, died in 1806 and Mathew left home to attend Yale in the same year. He wasgraduated in 1810 and took up residence again in Kentucky, assuming editorship of TheMirror, a Russellville paper. He left this paper to become editor of the Farmer's Friend,another Russellville publication. Ninian Edwards, one of Duncan's friends, precededDuncan to Illinois territory. He secured Duncan's appointment as territorial printer,justice of the peace for Kaskaskia county, and recorder of the county. His paper thuscame to have a semi-official character, as he was an official of the territory with a monopolyon all publication work. In addition to his work for the territory he did some printingof laws of the United States for which he was paid liberally. After disposing of his new s-paper property and his printing plant in 1817 Duncan took up residence in facksoncounty. He engaged in business, manufacturing, and army service during the years that