John Peter Zenger
Who was John Peter Zenger?
German printer and journalist in New York City
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on John Peter Zenger (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
John Peter Zenger was born on October 26, 1697, in Impflingen, a small village in what is now Germany. He moved to America in 1710 with a large group of German refugees escaping economic hardship and the fallout from the War of the Spanish Succession. Once in New York, young Zenger trained with William Bradford, the official printer for the colony. He learned the printing trade for several years before starting his own business.
After finishing his apprenticeship, Zenger briefly worked in Maryland before returning to New York City to open his own printing shop. In 1733, he began publishing The New York Weekly Journal, a newspaper backed by political opponents of William Cosby, the royal governor of New York. The Journal quickly became known for criticizing Cosby's administration, publishing pieces that accused the governor of corruption, voter fraud, and abusing power. Contributors like James Alexander and Lewis Morris shaped the paper's editorial stance, but Zenger, as printer and publisher, was legally accountable for its content.
On November 17, 1734, under orders from Governor Cosby, Zenger was arrested on charges of seditious libel. He spent nearly ten months in jail awaiting trial. His first lawyers were disbarred for questioning the legitimacy of Cosby's appointed judges, so prominent Philadelphia lawyer Andrew Hamilton and William Smith Sr. stepped in to defend him. At the time, English common law did not allow truth as a defense against libel, and the jury was only supposed to decide if the defendant had published the material, leaving the question of libel to the judge.
Hamilton argued to the jury that the statements in the Journal were true and that publishing the truth should not be considered criminal libel. On August 5, 1735, the jury acquitted Zenger, defying the judge's instructions and sending a strong message about the right to criticize government officials. While the case did not immediately change libel laws in the colonies or England, it set a significant precedent for the idea that truth should be a defense against libel.
After his acquittal, Zenger continued his printing business in New York City. In 1737, he was appointed public printer for New York, and in 1738, he received the same role for New Jersey. He published an account of his trial, which was widely read in the colonies and England, highlighting the importance of the case. Zenger died in New York City on July 28, 1746, survived by his wife Anna and several children. His trial remains a key moment in American press freedom history.
Before Fame
John Peter Zenger was born in 1697 in Impflingen, in what is now Germany. This area went through many military conflicts and tough economic times in the late 1600s and early 1700s. In 1710, he moved with his family and many other Palatines to the British colony of New York as part of Queen Anne's resettlement plan. His father died on the journey, leaving Zenger to navigate life in a new country on his own.
When he was thirteen, Zenger became an apprentice to William Bradford, who was New York's official colonial printer and one of the few printers in the colonies. This apprenticeship taught him all about printing and the business side of it. After finishing his training and working a while in Maryland, he returned to New York and started his own print shop. Over time, he built a name for himself, which eventually linked him to political circles that he would boldly support.
Key Achievements
- Founded and published The New York Weekly Journal beginning in 1733, one of colonial America's first opposition newspapers
- His 1735 acquittal on libel charges established the principle in American legal culture that truth is a valid defense against libel
- Appointed public printer for the colony of New York in 1737 and for the colony of New Jersey in 1738
- Published 'A Brief Narrative of the Case and Trial of John Peter Zenger,' a widely circulated text that influenced thinking about press freedom on both sides of the Atlantic
- His trial became a foundational reference point in the development of the First Amendment's free press protections in the United States Constitution
Did You Know?
- 01.Zenger was jailed for nearly ten months before his trial, and during his imprisonment his wife Anna continued to publish The New York Weekly Journal through a small slot in his jail cell door through which he passed instructions.
- 02.The lawyer who defended Zenger, Andrew Hamilton of Philadelphia, was already elderly and arguably the most celebrated attorney in colonial America; he took the case without fee.
- 03.Zenger's printed account of his own trial, 'A Brief Narrative of the Case and Trial of John Peter Zenger,' went through numerous editions in both the colonies and Britain, becoming one of the most widely read legal documents of the eighteenth century.
- 04.Under English common law at the time of his trial, the jury was only supposed to decide whether Zenger had printed the material, not whether it was libelous; Hamilton's argument persuading the jury to rule on both questions was a dramatic departure from standard legal procedure.
- 05.Zenger was one of roughly three thousand Palatine Germans who arrived in New York in 1710, one of the largest single waves of European immigration to the American colonies up to that point.
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