Biography:

Founded by brothers Alexander and James Robertson in November 1771, the Albany Gazette was the first newspaper published in the New York colony outside of New York City. The Robertson brothers printed the Gazette for less than a year, as difficulties obtaining supplies, distributing the paper, and a lack of subscriptions overwhelmed the small operation; their last issue was published in August 1772. The brothers began their publication ambivalent about the impending conflict for American independence and their paper was largely devoid of content relating to political tensions.  The Albany Gazette was resurrected after the Revolution in 1784 by another pair of brothers, Charles and George Webster. Under their direction, the Albany Gazette largely matched the general New York political leanings toward Federalism, and they reprinted 12 of the 85 Federalist papers in 1788. The Albany Gazette ceased printing in 1817.