Travel in Time with Dan: Fictional Interview with Thomas Green, Founder of the Hartford Courant (1764)
Dan: Hello everyone! Today, I’m in Hartford, Connecticut, at 285 Broad Street, standing outside the iconic building of the Hartford Courant—the oldest continuously running newspaper in the United States. I’m honored to “sit down” with Thomas Green, who founded this extraordinary publication back in 1764. Welcome, Mr. Green.
Thomas Green: Thank you, Dan. It’s gratifying to share the story of how a setback in New Haven became Hartford’s greatest gain.
Dan: Let’s start with that story. How did you end up founding the Courant here in Hartford?
Thomas Green: Well, I was publisher of a newspaper in New Haven—the Gazette, it was. Then Benjamin Franklin decided his nephew, also named Benjamin, needed employment at my paper. Franklin found his way to push me out, giving my position to his nephew. At first, it felt like betrayal. But looking back, New Haven’s loss became Hartford’s tremendous gain. I came here in 1764 and established the Connecticut Courant, which later became the Hartford Courant.
Dan: And you started it in a tavern, correct?
Thomas Green: Indeed! The Heart and Crown Tavern, to be precise. We began modestly—perhaps four pages, printed right there in the tavern. Imagine it: colonists grabbing a beer and a paper in the same establishment. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was honest work, and it got the word out to the people who needed it most.
Dan: The paper quickly became known as a Patriot paper during the Revolutionary period. Was that intentional?
Thomas Green: Absolutely intentional. We reported on the Boston Tea Party, the Stamp Acts, the Intolerable Acts, and the Coercive Acts. We printed the Declaration of Independence in full. Someone had to speak the truth, to encourage colonists to unite and break free from England’s grip. That took courage, Dan. Speaking against the Crown could have cost us everything—our livelihoods, perhaps our lives. But truth and liberty demanded it.
Dan: I understand President George Washington himself read the Courant during the Revolutionary War.
Thomas Green: He did indeed. Knowing the Commander-in-Chief was reading our words, sharing them with his officers and troops—that validated our mission. We weren’t just printing news; we were strengthening the resolve of those fighting for our independence. The pen and the sword, working together toward freedom.
Dan: The Courant’s courage continued even after the war. President Thomas Jefferson sued the paper, didn’t he?
Thomas Green: Yes, our third president took issue with what we printed about him. He wanted us to stop. But we stood firm, insisting that what we published was the truth. Jefferson sued us, and he lost. That lawsuit proved something vital: that a free press must remain free to speak truth to power, even when that power resides in the highest office.
Dan: The paper also supported Abraham Lincoln and the Republican Party decades later.
Thomas Green: The Courant has always recognized leadership that serves the people’s highest ideals. Supporting Lincoln and the new Republican Party was about supporting the cause of freedom and union. The paper helped put them into the President’s House, and I’m proud that the foundation we laid enabled such influence.
Dan: You also had Hannah Bruce Watson, who became the country’s first female publisher.
Thomas Green: Yes, and that speaks to something essential: inclusivity. A newspaper serves everyone, and it should reflect everyone. Having a woman in that position of leadership was not just progressive—it was right. Leadership requires seeing talent and principle regardless of convention.
Dan: What lessons would you say the Courant’s history teaches about leadership?
Thomas Green: Three things, Dan. First, courage under pressure—whether facing the British Crown or a sitting president, truth requires bravery. Second, inclusivity—bringing diverse voices to the table makes us stronger. Third, adaptability—from a four-page tavern paper to today’s digital world, we must evolve while holding fast to our core principles.
Dan: The building behind me closed in 2020. The newsroom is gone, and journalists now work from home. What do you think about that change?
Thomas Green: Change is inevitable, but something valuable is lost when people cannot collaborate face-to-face, cannot share ideas in the same room where the work happens. Still, the Courant endures. That’s what matters. The medium changes, but the mission—truth, courage, service to the community—that remains constant. A newspaper older than this nation still serves its people. That’s legacy.
Dan: Any final thoughts for aspiring leaders or journalists today?
Thomas Green: Leadership demands courage to speak truth even when it’s dangerous, wisdom to include all voices, and flexibility to adapt without losing your principles. Whether you’re printing papers in a tavern or publishing digitally from home, your commitment to truth and service defines your legacy. Never forget: what seems like your greatest setback may become your greatest opportunity.
Dan: Thank you so much, Thomas Green. It’s been an absolute privilege.
Thomas Green: May your words always serve truth and freedom, Dan. That’s the highest calling any of us can answer.
