HOUGHTON, H. H.

HOUGHTON, H. H. (Unknown-1879). Houghton claimed to be the first person to have furnished a number of newspapers with a sheet already printed on one side at a central location, a system that became widely used by 1901. He also invented a power press equipped with a "fly" that took the printed sheet from the machine thus eliminating hand service. At a time when most papers were printed on hand presses, he invented a machine for steam-power printing. He took his invention to New York in hopes of obtaining capital for manufacturing the machines, but did not meet with success. Reduced to nearly no money but sure his fortune lay in the West, he began a lengthy journey which brought him to Galena in 1838 and began mining LEAD. (1)

The IOWA TRANSCRIPT, Dubuque's third newspaper, was founded by H. H. Houghton in May 1843. It suspended publication in 1843 due to the ill health of Mr. Houghton who sold the paper around April 1, 1844, to Royal Cooper. (2)

A strong opponent of slavery, Houghton heard a speech by Henry A. Wise of Virginia. Visiting the office of the Northwestern Gazette and Galena Advertiser, he offered to set the type for the speech without pay if the owner of the paper would publish it. Houghton's abilities led to him being offered a partnership to be paid in work. Later Houghton purchased the other half for $1,500 and served for many years as editor and proprietor of the Galena Gazette. (3) He was also the postmaster of Galena. (4) In 1851 he was involved in locating the townsite of Lansing, Iowa and shares some credit for the naming of Mt. Hosmer. (5)

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Source:

1. "H. H. Houghton," The Dubuque Daily Telegraph, April 27, 1901, p. 4

2. Oldt, Franklin T. and Patrick J. Quigley. The History of Dubuque County, Iowa, A

3. "H. H. Houghton..."

4. "Early Days Recalled," The Dubuque Daily Telegraph, August 18, 1901, p. 8

5. "Historic Letter Tells of Naming of Mount Hosmer Year Ago," Dubuque Telegraph-Herald, February 19, 1922, p. 20