The Union Democrat
| Type | Daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Owner | RISN Operations |
| Founder | Albert N. Francisco |
| Founded | 1854 |
| Language | English |
| Headquarters | 84 S. Washington St. Sonora, CA 95370 |
| OCLC number | 28541808 |
| Website | uniondemocrat |
The Union Democrat is a newspaper that serves the Sonora and Sierra Nevada foothills area of Tuolumne and Calaveras counties in California since 1854.
History
[edit]On July 1, 1854, the first edition of The Union Democrat was published by Albert N. Francisco in Sonora, California.[1] Corrydon Donovan became editor in June 1855,[2] and was succeeded by Otis Greenwood in 1856.[3] Francisco maintained ownership until his death in March 1867.[4][5] D.C. Francisco then put the business up for sale.[6] Charles Randall was a proprietor for a time.[7]
John A. Van Harlingen started work at the Democrat at age 12 and when on to edit if for forty years.[8] In 1912, John Van Harlingen was sued for libel by rival publisher A.D. Duchow, who owned the Republican-affiliated Tuolumne Independent. Duchow sought $25,000 in damages.[9] After his death in 1928 at age 60, his brother F.W. Van Harlingen became the sole owner.[8] In 1938, John C. Fuller bought the paper from F.W. Van Harlingen. Fuller leased the paper for a three year period to Donald I. Segerstrom and Ray Miners.[10]
Segerstrom operated the paper for 15 years until selling it in December 1953 to husband-and-wife Hugh R. and Ruby Louise McLean.[11] Two years later the paper was acquired from the McLeans by Luther E. Gibson, a state senator who owned the Vallejo Times Herald.[12] Gibson expanded the paper to a daily. In June, 1958, the Union Democrat purchased and absorbed rival paper the Sonora Daily.[13]
In April 1959, the paper was purchased by Harvey C. and Helen McGee, who previously owned the Placerville Times.[14] Harvey McGee operated the paper for 33 years his death in January 1998.[15] In May 1998, Helen McGee sold the paper to the Oregon-based Western Communications.[16] In 2019, the company declared bankruptcy, placing all of its properties, including The Union Democrat, up for sale. The Union Democrat was sold to RISN Operations.[17]
References
[edit]- ^ "Union Democrat". Columbia Gazette. July 8, 1854. p. 2.
- ^ "Editorial Accession". The Placer Herald. Rocklin, California. June 2, 1855. p. 5.
- ^ "The Union Democrat (Sonora, Calif.) 1854-1946". The Library of Congress. Archived from the original on February 3, 2025. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
- ^ "The Death of A.M. Francisco". The Placer Herald. Rocklin, California. March 9, 1867. p. 2.
- ^ "Notice". San Francisco Chronicle. March 6, 1867. p. 2.
- ^ "Printing Office For Sale". The Union Democrat. July 6, 1867. p. 3.
- ^ "Notice". Stanislaus County Weekly News. Modesto, California. September 14, 1877. p. 2.
- ^ a b "Veteran Editor of Sonora Dies Seeking Health". Oakdale Leader. September 6, 1928. p. 5.
- ^ "$25,000 Libel Suit Between Editors". The Evening Mail. Stockton, California. November 12, 1912. p. 7.
- ^ "Union Democrat Has New Editors". The Record. Stockton, California. July 2, 1938. p. 6.
- ^ "Union Democrat in Sonora Sold to McLeans | Sgerstrom to Print Trade Magazines". The Record. Stockton, California. December 3, 1953. p. 38.
- ^ "Union Democrat Will Be Sold To State Senator". The Modesto Bee. May 26, 1955. p. 26.
- ^ "Union Democrat Buys Sonora's Other Daily". The Modesto Bee. June 26, 1958. p. 26.
- ^ "Daily Newspaper in Sonora". The Record. Stockton, California. April 30, 1959. p. 39.
- ^ DeLacy, Ron (January 3, 1998). "Sonora publisher Harvey McGee dies". The Modesto Bee. p. 18.
- ^ "The Union Democrat has new owners". The Union Democrat. May 7, 1998. p. 1. Retrieved September 3, 2025 – via Google News Archive Search.
- ^ Hansen, B.J. (July 24, 2019). "Union Democrat Newspaper Being Sold". myMotherLode.com. Retrieved September 7, 2024.