Private printers and the party press: What went on before the GPO

From the beginning of the federal government, Congress has produced a great deal of paperwork for which it has needed printers. Initially, it turned to private printers in New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, who also produced newspapers that promoted the party in power, a system known as the “party press.” These newspapers also provided the first reporters of debate in Congress, and then collected and compiled the recorded speeches into the Annals of Debate, Register of Debates, and Congressional Globe. At the same time, each presidential administration usually had an “official organ” that carried its pronouncements in return for printing contracts. The old patronage system finally ended with the creation of the Government Printing Office and publication of the Congressional Record.