Founding of the American Minerva

Background. Noah Webster (1758–1843) was an American lexicographer, textbook pioneer, spelling reformer, political writer, editor, and author, later called the "Father of American Scholarship and Education." In 1793, Alexander Hamilton recruited him to move to New York City and become an editor for a Federalist Party newspaper, lending him $1,500 (about $36,108 in 2025 dollars) for the move.

Founding and First Edition. In December 1793 Webster founded the American Minerva, New York's first daily newspaper. Its first edition was published on December 9, 1793, and Webster wrote the first known newspaper editorial in that first edition. He edited the paper for four years, producing the equivalent of 20 volumes of articles and editorials.

Later Names and Legacy. The paper originated as the American Minerva in 1793 and changed its name in 1797, becoming the New-York Commercial Advertiser, an American evening newspaper published, with slight name variations, until 1904. Title listings show it styled as the American Minerva and the New-York (Evening) Advertiser in March 1794 and as the American Minerva: An Evening Advertiser by May 1795.