The Oldest College Paper in Hanover

For many years, The Daily Dartmouth has boasted on its masthead that it is the "oldest college newspaper in the country." The editors trace their roots to the Dartmouth Gazette, founded in 1799 and edited for a short while by Daniel Webster, class of 1801. Who could ask for a nobler past?

There's only one problem: the claim is largely specious. For one thing, the Gazette was a literary magazine, not a newspaper, it was a private paper not directly associated with the College, and most of the staff weren't even students.

Even the publication called The Dartmouth, founded in 1839, was originally more literary magazine than newspaper, containing poetry, essays with titles like "The Study of the Natural Sciences," and a mere halfpage of college news. The Dartmouth didn't become a daily newspaper until 1920, and publication was interrupted during World War II.

So what is the oldest college newspaper in the country? Numerous institutions lay claim to the title including Yale and Miami University of Ohio. The Elis may have the best claim, having published a daily paper continuously since 1878.