The Constitutionalist

Newark, Ohio's third newspaper, the first print of the Constitutionalist appeared in 1837. The founding publishers, Rankin and Stadden were joined by a number of other proprietors over the course of its run until Rankin's death in 1840 and the sale of the paper in 1843, when it underwent a name change to The Licking Herald under owner Jacob Glessner. The paper changed hands at least five times and underwent another name change to The Newark Times from 1848 to 1859, until is was finally discontinued.

The Constitutionalist was a fervent advocate of Democratic Party candidates and platforms during the 1830s, 40s and 50s, supporting the campaigns of Presidents James Polk and Franklin Pierce. The office of the Constitutionalist printed an allied paper called The Rasp in 1840 which supported Martin Van Buren. In its last three years of existence as The Newark Times (1856-1859), the paper replaced its political focus with a family-oriented approach. .

Unlike many other short-lived, early newspapers from Licking County, some issues of the Constitutionalist remain extant; select issues of the Constitutionalist survive on microfilm from Dec. 7, 1838 – Dec. 23, 1843. In addition to the microfilm, the Licking County Library holds twenty-five issues of the Constitutionalist from Dec. 8, 1838 to Oct. 11, 1839 in its original print.

J.G.