Audubon Republican Archive

The Audubon County Republican began on December 24, 1885, established by Edward B. Cousins and Sidney Foster. It was published in the small town of Audubon, which was still only a few years old. As with many small-town newspapers, the weekly paper was often the only source of news and literature readily available to citizens. In addition to covering local and state news, the Republican often featured educational articles on a variety of topics of general interest and selections of poetry. In 1888, Foster was succeeded by William H. McClure, who took over as editor.

In early 1894, Cousins and McClure sold the Republican to James Edwin Griffith. A few months into his tenure, Griffith expanded the paper from four to eight pages and changed the name to the Audubon Republican. Three years later, Griffith sold the paper and left the newspaper business to become a druggist. David C. Mott came to Audubon from Tipton, Iowa, to take over as the new owner, editor, and publisher on August 12, 1897. Mott remained at the Republican until July 1905, when he sold the business to Albert C. Ross. Ross then sold it to Henry J. Hoogenakker in October 1911.

The Audubon Republican became the leading Republican newspaper in the county and was influential in political and social affairs of the community. In its expanded eight-page format, the first page often featured major news stories of statewide or national significance, while the second page was devoted to local town or county news items. The following pages included a mix of informational articles, announcements of local events, and advertisements for local businesses.

In 1925, the Audubon Republican merged with the Audubon Advocate, becoming the Advocate-Republican, overseen by publisher Clara Spencer and managing editor Walter E. Williams. The paper merged two more times, first with the Audubon News-Guide in 1961 to form the Audubon News-Advocate, then with the Audubon County Journal in 1993. The Audubon County Advocate Journal continues to publish today.