John Dunlap

John Dunlap. An Irish-born printer and publisher who became a pivotal figure in early American publishing. He is most famous for producing the first official printed versions of the United States Declaration of Independence, known as the Dunlap broadsides, on the night of July 4–5, 1776. A successful businessman in Philadelphia, he also published the influential newspaper, the Pennsylvania Packet, or the General Advertiser, and served as an officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.

Early life and background

Born in 1747 in Strabane, County Tyrone, in the Kingdom of Ireland, he was the son of a Presbyterian farmer. At the age of ten, he was sent to live with his uncle, William Dunlap, a printer and bookseller in Philadelphia, then a major city in the Province of Pennsylvania. He received his education in colonial schools and was formally apprenticed to his uncle in the printing trade in 1757. Upon his uncle's death in 1766, the nineteen-year-old apprentice inherited the modest printing shop, located near the Pennsylvania State House, which positioned him at the center of the colony's political life on Chestnut Street.

Printing career and the Dunlap broadsides

He quickly expanded the business, establishing himself as a prominent printer for the Continental Congress and the Pennsylvania Assembly. In 1771, he founded the Pennsylvania Packet, or the General Advertiser, which would later become the first successful daily newspaper in the United States. His most historic commission came on July 4, 1776, when, likely working from Thomas Jefferson's manuscript, he and his shop foreman, David Claypoole, printed approximately 200 copies of the Declaration of Independence. These broadsides were swiftly distributed to the colonies and to General Washington's headquarters to be read aloud to the Continental Army troops. He also printed other crucial documents, including the Articles of Confederation and the text of the Treaty of Paris.

Role in the American Revolution

Beyond his work as a printer, he actively participated in the Revolutionary War effort. He served as a commissioned officer in the Philadelphia City Cavalry, a unit of the Pennsylvania Militia, and saw action during the Philadelphia campaign of 1777. His military service included the Battle of Trenton and the Battle of Princeton, where he fought under the command of George Washington. His printing shop was instrumental in producing military proclamations, congressional resolutions, and currency for the Continental Congress, making it a vital communications hub for the revolutionary government. His newspaper, the Pennsylvania Packet, was a key organ for publishing official war news and patriotic essays that supported the Patriot cause.

Later life and legacy

After the war, he continued his successful publishing career and invested in real estate, becoming a wealthy man. In 1784, he sold the Pennsylvania Packet to his former foreman, David Claypoole, who would later print the first official version of the United States Constitution in 1787. He retired from active printing in the 1790s, focusing on his extensive land holdings in Pennsylvania and Kentucky. A prominent citizen, he was a founding trustee of the University of Pennsylvania and a member of the Hibernian Society. He died in Philadelphia on November 27, 1812, and was interred in the burial ground of Christ Church. His legacy is preserved through the surviving two dozen Dunlap broadsides, which are among the most valuable printed documents in American history, with copies held by institutions like the Library of Congress, the National Archives, and the American Philosophical Society. Category:American printers Category:People of the American Revolution Category:Irish emigrants to the Thirteen Colonies