Greenville Advocate

City: Greenville

County: Bond

State: Illinois

The Greenville Advocate was founded in February 1858 by Cal and Jediah F. Alexander, with Jediah as the chief editor. By November of that year, Jediah served as the sole editor of the newspaper. Although he initially attempted to keep the Advocate nonpartisan, he soon began to actively support the Republican Party and Abraham Lincoln in particular. The paper's advocacy for freedom in federal territories led to it being banned in Texas in 1860. During the American Civil War, the newspaper spent editorial energy and space encouraging volunteers to join the U.S. Army. In June 1863, Jediah sold the paper to his brother Cal.

Hubert G. Schmidt, "Jediah F. Alexander, Civil War Editor," Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society 40 (June 1947): 140-43, 146.