Charles Scribner I
American publisher (1821–1871)
title: "Charles Scribner I" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1821-births", "1871-deaths", "19th-century-american-businesspeople", "american-book-publishing-company-founders", "american-publishers-(people)", "businesspeople-from-new-york-city", "charles-scribner's-sons", "deaths-from-typhoid-fever", "lawrenceville-school-alumni", "princeton-university-alumni"] description: "American publisher (1821–1871)" topic_path: "law" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Scribner_I" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary American publisher (1821–1871) ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Charles Scribner I |
| image | Scribner's magazine (1887) (14595394149).jpg |
| birth_date | |
| birth_place | New York City, U.S. |
| death_date | |
| death_place | Lucerne, Switzerland |
| education | Lawrenceville School |
| New York University | |
| alma_mater | Princeton University (1840) |
| spouse | |
| children | John Blair Scribner |
| Emma Locke Scribner | |
| Charles Scribner II | |
| Arthur Hawley Scribner | |
| parents | Uriah Rogers Scribner |
| Betsey Hawley | |
| relatives | Charles Scribner III (grandson) |
| Charles Scribner IV (great-grandson) | |
| :: |
| name = Charles Scribner I | image = Scribner's magazine (1887) (14595394149).jpg | caption = | birth_date = | birth_place = New York City, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = Lucerne, Switzerland | education = Lawrenceville School New York University | alma_mater = Princeton University (1840) | occupation = | spouse = | children = John Blair Scribner Emma Locke Scribner Charles Scribner II Arthur Hawley Scribner | parents = Uriah Rogers Scribner Betsey Hawley | relatives = Charles Scribner III (grandson) Charles Scribner IV (great-grandson) | signature =
Charles Scribner I (February 21, 1821 – August 26, 1871) founded a publishing company that would eventually become Charles Scribner's Sons.
Early life
Scribner was born in New York City on February 21, 1821. He was the son of Uriah Rogers Scribner (1778–1853) and Betsey (née Hawley) Scribner (1787–1871). Among his siblings were the Rev. William Scribner and Walter Scribner, a druggist. His sister Martha was the wife of George W. Schuyler, and their family included sons Eugene Schuyler, and Walter S. Schuyler, as well as grandson Walter S. Grant.
He attended the Lawrenceville School from 1834 to 1837. After a year's study at New York University, he entered Princeton University and graduated with the class of 1840. He began the study of law, but was obliged by ill health to make a trip to Europe.
Career
After returning from Europe, in 1846 Scribner became the younger partner of Baker in forming a new kind of publishing house under the firm name of Baker and Scribner. Unlike traditional houses, which were generally outgrowths of printing companies or book sellers, theirs would exist purely as a publisher. This had an influence on the character of its publications, which were chiefly confined to the works of contemporary authors. It also published Presbyterian philosophy books.
With the death of Baker in 1850, he formed the house of Scribner and Welford in 1857 for the importation of foreign books.
In 1865, Charles Scribner and Co. made its first venture into magazine publishing with Hours at Home, a monthly magazine. In 1870 this magazine was merged into Scribner's Monthly under the editorship of Josiah G. Holland, and published by a separate company, Scribner and Co., with Dr. Holland and Roswell Smith as part owners.
Upon Scribner's death the next year in August 1871, Charles Scribner and Co. was reorganized as Scribner, Armstrong, and Co. The partners in the new firm were Scribner's eldest son, John Blair Scribner, Andrew C. Armstrong, and Edward Seymour. In 1877, the publication house moved to 743 Broadway. Upon Seymour's death in April 1877, and Armstrong's retirement in 1878, the firm-name was changed to Charles Scribner's Sons, under which form the business was conducted after John Blair Scribner's death in 1879 by Charles Scribner and Arthur H. Scribner, younger brothers of John Blair.
Personal life
In 1846, Scribner was married to Emma Elizabeth Blair (1827–1869), daughter of the magnate John Insley Blair and Nancy Ann (née Locke) Blair. Her brother DeWitt Clinton Blair, continued their father's business and his son, C. Ledyard Blair, was a prominent investment banker. Together, they were the parents of:
- John Blair Scribner (1850–1879), who married Lucy Ann Hawley Skidmore (1853–1931) in 1875. After his death, she founded Skidmore College.
- Emma Locke Scribner (1852–1922), who married Walter Cranston Larned (1850–1914), art editor of the Chicago Daily News.
- Charles Scribner II (1854–1930), who married Louise Flagg (1862–1948), daughter of priest and painter Jared Bradley Flagg and sister of architect Ernest Flagg.
- Arthur Hawley Scribner (1859–1932), who married Helen Annan (1868–1928). He died of typhoid on August 26, 1871, while traveling in Lucerne, Switzerland. He is interred in the family plot at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York City.
References
References
- was an American publisher who, with Isaac D. Baker (1819–1850),{{cite BDA1906 |wstitle= Baker, Isaac D. |volume= 1 |page= 192 |short=1}}
- (1896). "Norwalk". The author.
- (1914). "Manual of the Congregational Church and History of the Church and Parish in Hadlyme, Connecticut: With a List of the Principal Officers and an Entire List of the Members from Its Organization, June 26, 1745; and a List of Present Officers and Members to December 1, 1913 ...". Hartford Printing Company.
- Krout, John A.. (1935). "Dictionary of American Biography". Charles Scribner's Sons.
- "NOTABLE ALUMNI". The Lawrenceville School.
- {{Cite Appletons'. (1900)
- "Archives of Charles Scribner's Sons". [[Princeton University]].
- "Highgate Cemetery".
- (January 21, 1879). "John Blair Scribner Dead.". [[The New York Times]].
- (May 4, 1931). "Mrs. Scribner Dies. Skidmore Founder. Widow of John Blair Scribner Succumbs After Long Illness at Age of 77. Known as Philanthropist. Gifts to Girls' College She Started and Whose Trustees She Headed Put at $1,000,000.". The New York Times.
- (May 11, 1931). "Died".
- (June 20, 1914). "Walter Cranston Larned Dead.". The New York Times.
- (March 13, 1922). "HELD AS WOULD-BE SUICIDE; Nephew of Charles Scribner Tries to Jump From Hotel Window.". The New York Times.
- (April 20, 1930). "Charles Scribner Dies suddenly at 76. Publisher Succumbs to Heart Disease at Home Here. Was at Desk Thursday. Entered Firm as Youth. Directed Business His Father Founded. Fostered Work of American Authors. Firm Founded in 1846. Received Honorary Degree.". The New York Times.
- (July 4, 1932). "A. H. Scribner Dead. Headed Book Firm. Son of Founder of Noted Publishing House Is Victim of Heart Attack in His Sleep. Was Active for Princeton. Permanent President of His Class of '81 and an Organizer and First Head of the Ivy Club.". The New York Times.
- (August 28, 1871). "OBITUARY. Charles Scribner". The New York Times.
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