. WALTER, John, English editor and pub lisher, son of the preceding: b. London, 23 Feb. 1776; d. there, 28 July 1847. He was snidying for the ministry at Oxford, when in 1797 or 1798 his father summoned him to London to assist in the management of the Times. From the date of his assumption of the management a new spirit was manifested in the paper, and in 1803 he became sole manager. He main tained an independent course, which, while it made the reputation of the Times, cost its editor the little official patronage it had en joyed. For 18 years the firm had been printers for the board of customs, but in 1805, in con seguence of criticism of Lord Melville's ad ministration of the admiralty department, he was deprived of the employment His enter prise had increased the circulation of the Times from 1,000 to 5,000 copies in 10 years, notwith standing the continued opposition of the gov ernment In 1805 he made arrangeinents for obtaining foreign news, and in 1807 sent Henry Crabb Robinson (q.v.) to Germany, the first of the afterward numerous class of special correspondents; and though every measure pos.
sible was used by the government to delay his foreign despatches, Walter frequently published foreign information days before the same intel ligence was officially received by the govern ment. He afterward franlcly admitted that smuggling was the only means by which he could obtain French journals. Intimately the Times took its place as the leading English journal, and Walter may be considered as its real creator. On 29 Nov. 1814 he issued his paper printed by K8nig's steam cylinder press, the first paper to be printed by that method. (See PRINTING PRESSES). He acted as editor of the paper until after 1810, but from that time entrusted a share of the editorial work to Sir John Stoddart In 1832-37 he sat in Par liament for Berlcshire, but resigned in the latter year because of differences with his con stituents; was returned for Nottingham in 1841, but was unseated in the following year. His later years were spent chiefly in retirement.