Harris, Benjamin

Harris, Benjamin

(fl. 1673–c. 1720) journalist; born in England. Frequently arrested for his activities as a publisher, he fled to America in 1685 and set up a bookstore in Boston; there he published a popular almanac, the New England Primer, and other books, as well as Publick Occurrences Both Foreign and Domestick (on September 25, 1690), the first American newspaper (which was, however, suppressed after the first issue). In 1695 he returned to England, where he remained active.