Journal of the House of Assembly, New Brunswick, Christopher Sower, 1786

Although John Ryan was New Brunswick’s first printer, he was not the first to hold the title of King’s Printer. Despite naming his newspaper The Royal St. John’s Gazette and Nova Scotia Intelligencer, the official title of King’s Printer went to Christopher Sower who required Ryan to remove the word "Royal" from his masthead.

Born in Philadelphia in 1754 into a well-known German printing family, Sower joined the family business in 1775. After printing a series of anti-revolutionary articles in 1778, the family was forced to flee to New York. For many years Sower worked for the Loyalist cause, gathering intelligence on behalf of the British. By 1781 he travelled to England, where he  applied for compensation and asked for an official post in British North America. As a reward for his service to England, and given his background as a printer, Sower was appointed the first King’s Printer in the newly established province of New Brunswick.

Four years later in 1785, Sower established The Royal Gazette and New Brunswick Advertiser. Sower published mostly journals of the House of Assembly and other official government notices. He introduced the family practice of printing almanacs. These almanacs were very popular, containing cycles of the moon, calendars, tidal times and other useful material. Sower resigned his position as King’s Printer in 1779 due to ailing health, whereupon the position was given to his longtime rival, John Ryan. Sower returned to Baltimore in 1799, where he had plans to set up a type foundry with his brother Samuel; he died before this plan could be realized.

Christopher Sower died in Baltimore, Maryland in 1799 and is buried there.

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