Frank Queen
Frank Queen was a pivotal figure in American journalism, particularly known for his contributions to the coverage of entertainment and sports in the mid-19th century. Born on May 12, 1822, in a working-class neighborhood of South Philadelphia, he moved to New York City in his twenties with aspirations of becoming a reporter. Recognizing the lack of media attention on the burgeoning entertainment scene, he founded *The New York Clipper* in 1853, the first newspaper dedicated exclusively to this industry. Under Queen's leadership, the publication quickly gained popularity and expanded its focus to include not just theater, but also amateur sports, an area largely overlooked by contemporary media. His editorial vision elevated the perception of athletic competitions, portraying them as noble and exciting events. Frank Queen's innovative approach to journalism established him as a significant figure during the Gilded Age, and although he passed away on October 18, 1882, his legacy endured as *The Clipper* eventually evolved into the renowned entertainment publication, *Variety*.
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Frank Queen
Poet
- Born: May 12, 1822
- Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Died: October 18, 1882
Biography
Francis Queen was born in a working-class neighborhood of south Philadelphia on May 12, 1822. Drawn early on to the power of newspapers and desiring to be a reporter, Queen headed to New York City when he was in his twenties to make a name for himself in journalism.
In the years before the Civil War, a massive influx of working-class people had moved to New York, and these residents discovered the relatively cheap entertainment provided by the theater, including minstrel shows, dance performances, and concerts. With the savvy insights of an entrepreneur and his natural business acumen, Queen realized that New York’s newspapers were not significantly covering the city’s burgeoning entertainment offerings. In 1853, with financial backing from the powerful industrialist Harrison Ford Trent, Queen founded the first newspaper devoted exclusively to the entertainment field. Queen, the new publication’s managing editor, christened the four-page weekly The New York Clipper, taking the name from the new generation of merchant sailing ships, noted for their speed and agility, that regularly docked along the East River. He believed this name suggested his commitment to providing not only accurate but up-to-date coverage of the ever-changing theater world, as well as offering reviews and news about ongoing entertainment events in New York.
The newspaper, priced at three cents an issue, sold briskly and people in the entertainment business saw the possibilities of using the weekly to advertise their programs and events. Soon, Queen found himself a major force in New York journalism, as promoters for every conceivable show, from jugglers to organists, from opera singers to animals acts, advertised in the newspaper, eventually renamed The Clipper. Within ten years of its founding, the newspaper expanded to ten pages; by the 1880’s, The Clipper had grown to nearly twenty pages and Queen was recognized as one of the philanthropic giants of the Gilded Age.
By the 1870’s, however, Queen recognized another untapped market that might prove commercially viable for his newspaper. At that time, amateur sporting events, including boxing, running, billiards, bowling, and the relatively new sports of football and baseball, received little coverage in established newspapers, many of which considered athletics seamy and corrupt. Scores and anecdotes of sporting events were disseminated in handbills or through word-of-mouth. Under Queen’s guidance, The Clipper began to cover these amateur sporting events, eventually making these contests more respectable and visible. Queen viewed athletic competitions as heroic activities, with a natural narrative of drama and suspense. He directed his newspaper’s coverage of sports for nearly a decade, defending in articulate and often passionate editorials the dignity and grace of athletic endeavors.
Queen died on October 18, 1882. Within a decade after his death, his newspaper divested itself of sports coverage and devoted itself entirely to theater news. In 1924, the newspaper was renamed Variety, which would in turn become the leading newspaper of the entertainment industry.