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The Herald Editor and the President

About This Item

  • Title: The Herald Editor and the President
  • Date: 14 December 1857
  • Creator(s): Walt Whitman
  • Whitman Archive ID: per.00977
  • Source: Brooklyn Daily Times, 14 December 1857: 2. Our transcription is based on a digital image of a microfilm scan of the original issue. Microfilm of original issue held at Pennsylvania State University Libraries. For a description of the editorial rationale behind our treatment of the journalism, see our statement of editorial policy.
  • Editorial note: This piece is unsigned, as was the case for most of Whitman's journalism. However, this editorial is part of a series of texts that deal with a coherent theme that has been identified by the Whitman Archive journalism team as likely authored by Whitman. This decision is based on a combination of historical and (auto)biographical accounts, similarity to contemporary Whitman writings, a history of scholarly attribution, extant clippings retained by Whitman, computational stylometric analysis, and, in some cases, manuscript evidence in Whitman’s hand.
  • Contributors to digital file: Thara Michaelis Kaylen Michaelis Cassandra Jannel Simms Stefan Schöberlein Karie Cobb
  • Cite this page: Whitman, Walt. "The Herald Editor and the President." The Walt Whitman Archive. Gen. ed. Matt Cohen, Ed Folsom, & Kenneth M. Price. Accessed 16 July 2024. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org>.
  • Source File: per.00977.xml (TEI)
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THE HERALD EDITOR AND THE PRESIDENT.—

The Washington correspondent of the New Orleans Picayune states that Mr. Buchanan,1 fearful of being subjected to a like merciless stream of abuse to that which the New York Herald2 poured upon the luckless head of “Poor Pierce,”3 has concluded an offensive and defensive treaty of alliance with the Satanic editor; that in pursuance of the terms thereof one of Bennett’s attaches has been appointed consul at Bordeaux, Bennett junior4 is to be appointed to West Point, and the old man himself5 is to realise the long sought object of his ambition, in getting a foreign mission. Among other evidences of the truth of these statements, the writer mentions that when at the capital a few days ago, Bennett dined, by special invitation, at the White House, Secretary Cobb6 being the only other guest present.

Notes:

1. James Buchanan (1791–1868) was the fifteenth President of the United States (1857–1861). Late in life Whitman still considered Buchanan "perhaps the weakest of the President tribe—the very unablest" (With Walt Whitman in Camden, Monday, November 5, 1888). For more information on Whitman and his disdain for Buchanon, see also Bernard Hirschorn, ""To a President" (1860)," Walt Whitman: An Encyclopedia, ed. J.R. LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings (New York: Garland Publishing, 1998). [back]

2. The New York Herald was one of the leading New York City papers during Whitman’s lifetime. It was run by James Gordon Bennett, Sr., and his son and leaned Democrat, while loudly proclaiming its political independence. It was published from 1835 to 1924. See also The New York Herald (Poems in Periodicals)." [back]

3. Franklin Pierce (1804–1869) was the fourteenth President of the United States. He served from 1853 to 1857. For context, see also Frederick Hatch, "Presidents, United States," Walt Whitman: An Encyclopedia, ed. J.R. LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings (New York: Garland Publishing, 1998). [back]

4. James Gordon Bennett Jr. (1841–1918), the only son of the founder of the New York Herald grew up largely in France. He would return to the U.S. in 1861 to join the Navy. In 1867, he took over his father's proprietorship of theHerald. [back]

5.  [back]

6. Howell Cobb (1815–1868) was a Democratic politician from Georgia. He served as the Secretary of the Treasury under President James Buchanan from 1857 to 1860. [back]

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