John Thadeus Delane facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Thadeus Delane
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Portrait by August Schiøtt, 1862
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John Thadeus Delane
11 October 1817 London, England
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| Died | 22 November 1879 (aged 62) Ascot, Berkshire, England
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| Education | King's College London Magdalen Hall, Oxford |
| Occupation | Journalist, editor |
John Thadeus Delane (born 11 October 1817 – died 22 November 1879) was a very important editor for The Times newspaper in London. He was born in London, England.
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Who Was John Thadeus Delane?
John was the second son of W.F.A. Delane. His father was a barrister, which is a type of lawyer. Their family came from Ireland a long time ago. Around 1832, John's father got a job at The Times. He became the financial manager for the newspaper. This job was given to him by John Walter II, who published The Times.
Even when John was young, Mr. Walter noticed him. It was always planned that John would work for the newspaper one day. He went to good schools, including King's College London. He also studied at Magdalen Hall, Oxford. After finishing his degree in 1840, he started working at The Times right away. Later, he also studied law and became a barrister in 1847.
Becoming a Powerful Editor
In 1841, John Delane became the editor of The Times. He took over from Thomas Barnes. John held this important job for 36 years!
From the very beginning, he made friends with important people. He met leaders in society and politics. No other journalist before him had such a strong position. He used his connections wisely. He had a great sense for how events would unfold.
John had a team of very smart people working with him. They all shared the same goal for the newspaper. At that time, The Times had almost no real competition in English journalism. Because of this, the newspaper had excellent information. This gave it a lot of power and influence. Delane was interested in many things. He had great judgment and could focus for a long time. He was good at finding the most important part of any issue. He could quickly understand difficult facts.
Leading The Times
John Delane's main goal was to keep The Times a national newspaper. He wanted it to be a voice for the country. He tried to keep it above regular political parties. However, he often supported Liberal ideas of the time.
He admired Palmerston, who was a Prime Minister. He also respected Lord Aberdeen. Delane was very helpful to both of them. In 1845, Lord Aberdeen even told him about a big upcoming change. This was the repeal of the Corn Laws. These laws had made food expensive in Britain. Many stories have been told about this event.
The Times and Delane played a big part in many events. This happened during 13 different governments between 1845 and 1877.
Later Life and Legacy
In 1877, John Delane's health began to fail. He decided to retire from being editor. He passed away on 22 November 1879. He died at his country home, Ascot Heath House, in Berkshire.
His nephew, Arthur Irwin Dasent, wrote a book about John Delane. It was published in 1908.
