Page "The Philadelphia Inquirer" Paragraph 2

The Philadelphia Inquirer was founded as The Pennsylvania Inquirer by printer John R. Walker and John Norvell, former editor of Philadelphia's largest newspaper, the Aurora & Gazette.

An editorial in the first issue of The Pennsylvania Inquirer promised that the paper would be devoted to the right of a minority to voice their opinion and " the maintenance of the rights and liberties of the people, equally against the abuses as the usurpation of power.

" They pledged support to then-President Andrew Jackson and " home industries, American manufactures, and internal improvements that so materially contribute to the agricultural, commercial and national prosperity.

" Founded on June 1, 1829, The Philadelphia Inquirer is the third oldest surviving daily newspaper in the United States.

However, in 1962, an Inquirer-commissioned historian traced The Inquirer to John Dunlap's The Pennsylvania Packet, which was founded on October 28, 1771.

In 1850 The Packet was merged with another newspaper The North American, which later merged with the Philadelphia Public Ledger.

Finally, the Public Ledger merged with The Philadelphia Inquirer in the 1930s and between 1962 and 1975, a line on The Inquirers front page claimed that the newspaper is the United States ' oldest surviving daily newspaper.