Albany Fonblanque - The Examiner

The Examiner

In 1828 the Examiner newspaper, which had been purchased by the Rev. Dr Fellowes, author of the Religion of the Universe, etc., was given over to Fonblanque's complete control; and for a period of seventeen years (1830 to 1847) he not only sustained the high character for political independence and literary ability which the Examiner had gained under the direction of Leigh Hunt and his brother, John Hunt, but even compelled his political opponents to acknowledge a certain delight in the boldness and brightness of the wit directed against themselves.

When it was proposed that the admirers and supporters of the paper should facilitate a reduction in its price by the payment of their subscription ten years in advance, not only did Edward Bulwer-Lytton volunteer his aid, but also Benjamin Disraeli, who was then flirting with radicalism. During his time with the Examiner, Fonbianque had many offers of further literary employment; but he devoted his energies and talents to the service of the paper he had resolved to make a standard of literary excellence in the world of journalism.

The Examiner was a weekly paper founded by Leigh and John Hunt in 1808. Albany Fonblanque, the journal's political commentator from 1826, took over the Examiner in 1830, serving as editor until 1847. He brought in such contributors as John Stuart Mill, John Forster, William Makepeace Thackeray, and most notably Charles Dickens. He wrote the first notice of Sketches by Boz (28 February 1836) and of The Pickwick Papers (4 September 1836). Foster became the magazine's literary editor in 1835, and succeeded Fonblanque as editor from 1847 to 1855. Fonblanque retained ownership until 1865. The magazine ceased publication in 1886.