Lt. Col. William William J Duane

Journalist, Author. Born near Lake Champlain of Irish parents, after his father's death he was raised in Ireland by his mother. He was apprenticed as a printer, and in 1784 moved to India, where he became Editor of a newspaper, "The World". Duane became involved in a dispute with the Governor, who forced him on board a ship to England and expropriated Duane's property. Duane then became editor of London's "General Advertiser". He settled in Philadelphia in 1795 and became co-Editor of the "Aurora" with Benjamin Franklin's grandson Benjamin Franklin Bache. After the deaths of Bache and Duane's wife, Duane married Bache's widow and continued as sole Editor of the "Aurora", working under the patronage of Thomas Jefferson to make it the leading Democratic newspaper, and aiding substantially in making Jefferson the first President of that party. Duane was appointed a Lieutenant Colonel in 1805 and served as the Army's Adjutant General in the War of 1812. He also published several military works, including 1813's "Handbook for Riflemen" and "Handbook for Infantry", and 1819's "American Military Library". Duane retired from the "Aurora" in 1822, traveled extensively in South America, and wrote an account of his journey, 1826's "A Visit to Columbia in 1822-23". In the mid 1820s he was appointed Prothonotary for the Philadelphia district, an office in which he served until his death. His son William J. Duane (1780-1865) served as US Treasury Secretary.* Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Jun 19 2019, 1:23:15 UTC

Editor of the Aurora

When the Aurora resumed publication after the death of Benjamin Bache, its owner was Benny’s widow, Margaret, and its editor was William Duane. Born in Newfoundland to Irish parents, Duane was raised in Vermont, Philadelphia, and Clonmel, Ireland, where he learned the printing trade and became a journalist.

With the Aurora under his guidance, Duane fought successfully against the infamous Alien and Sedition acts that were in force between 1798 and 1801. The controversial Irish-American was cited by Thomas Jefferson (and Jefferson’s political enemies) as a major factor in elevating Jefferson to the presidency in 1801. Of all the early American Republic’s “transatlantic radicals”—intellectuals and political activists forced to flee to the U.S. from Ireland, Scotland and England during the 1790’s—William Duane was probably the most influential.

Military Career

A US Army colonel and a Pennsylvania Militia officer, Duane also served as Adjutant General in the defense of Philadelphia during the War of 1812 (during which time James Wilson, Woodrow Wilson’s grandfather, edited the Aurora with the help of Duane’s eldest son, William John). Duane authored and published several books on military tactics for the U.S. armed forces. His A Handbook for Riflemen (1812) was required reading at US military academies for over a century.

Advocate for South America

Duane’s Aurora championed South America’s independence struggle and was the leading source of information in the U.S. on the conflict, from 1811 to 1822. In fact, one of Duane’s best friends and colleagues in Philadelphia was Manuel Torres, a Colombian exile who eventually became the first official representative of the newly independent South American governments in the United States.

William and Margaret Duane sold off the Aurora in 1822. Duane then traveled to Colombia and Venezuela, where he was welcomed as a hero. Two generations later, William Duane II, at the request of the Colombian government, sent a portrait of his illustrious grandfather to Bogotá, where it was hung with honor in the Capitol. NPA.Gov