The president’s editor: John W. Forney of the press and morning chronicle

Unlike many of his predecessors in the White House, Abraham Lincoln did not have an official publication. However, in John W. Forney, the publisher of the Philadelphia Press and the Washington Morning Chronicle, the president had the kind of unwavering editorial supporter he needed. Forney made his newspapers into virtual political organs for the administration. In return, Lincoln helped Forney secure a position with the Senate, and the administration steered government patronage to his newspapers. The president found an intensely loyal supporter in Forney. And Lincoln was more than glad to oblige him, knowing he would need all the support he could muster in order to tackle the monumental tasks ahead of him.