WALTER, wines, John, English pub lisher : b. 1739; d. Teddington, Middlesex, 16 Nov. 1812. He was first engaged as a coal merchant, in which business he accumulated a considerable fortune, but lost it in subsequent operations as an underwriter. In 1782 his at tention was attracted to an invention of one Henry Johnson, who had patented in 1778 and 1780 printing units known as logotypes, which substituted entire words or syllables instead of type characters of single letters. In 1784, hav ing purchased the Johnson patents, he opened a printing office in London known as the Logo graphic Office, and engaged in publishing books. On 1 Jan. 1785 he issued the first number of a small newspaper, The Daily Universal Regis ter, °printed logographically,° whic,h was really the first number of the Times, though that name was not assumed until 1 Jan. 1788, when The Times, or Daily Universal Register ap peared, the alternative title being dropped in the succeeding March. The Times was not im mediately a success, and the logographic process eventually had to be abandoned, but Walter seems to have derived some profit from his book printing, and gradually the Times became a power in the land. In 1786 Walter
was convicted of having printed a libel, the offense having been the statement that the dukes of York, Clarence and Cumberland were insincere in their congratulations on the king's recovery. He was sentenced to a year's im prisonment in Newgate, to stand in the pillory for one hour, pay a fine of f50 and to enter into recognizances for his good behavior for seven years. He was subsequently sentenced to a second year's imprisonment before the expiration of the first and further fines of .1200 on other libelous charges, but was par doned after 16 months at Newgate. Broken in health and spirit at his continued misfortunes Walter retired from the management of the business in 1795.