Henry Watterson Notebook, 1897-1897
| MS Manuscripts
Administrative/Biographical History
Henry Watterson (February 16, 1840 – December 22, 1921) was a United States journalist who founded the Louisville Courier-Journal. He also served part of one term in the United States House of Representatives as a Democrat. Born in Washington, D.C., Watterson became a newspaper reporter early in his life. He fought for the Confederate States of America under General Nathan B. Forrest during the American Civil War, and edited a pro-Confederate newspaper, the Chattanooga Rebel.
After the war, Watterson edited newspapers in several states before settling down in Louisville, Kentucky to edit the Louisville Journal. When that paper merged with the Louisville Courier in 1868, the Courier-Journal was formed. He was a leader of the Liberal Republican movement in 1872. By 1876, he was a Democrat and was elected to fill the rest of Edward Y. Parsons' term in the house when he died in office. He was also a five-time delegate to the National Democratic Convention, where, in 1892, he received a smattering of votes for the vice presidential nomination
Watterson wrote colorful and controversial editorials on many topics under the pen name "Marse Henry." He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1918 for two editorials supporting U.S. entry into World War I, and he remained the editor until 1919, retiring after conflicts with Robert Worth Bingham, who purchased the paper in 1918.
During his tenure as editor, Watterson was a Democratic representative in Congress from 1876 to 1877, and. He became widely known as a lecturer and orator. His publications include History of the Spanish-American War (1899) and The Compromises of Life (1902).
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