Walter, John

(born 1739, probably in London, Eng.—died Nov.16, 1812, Teddington, Middlesex) English newspaper publisher. Initially a coal dealer and marine-insurance underwriter, Walter acquired the patent for a printing system in 1783 and in 1785 in London began to publish the Daily Universal Register. He renamed it The Times in 1788. Though neither outstanding nor honest as a journalist, he turned from scandal to more serious topics and organized (while in prison for libeling members of the royal family) a news service from the European continent, thereby launching The Times toward its later preeminence in foreign news reporting. Walter's family owned The Times for almost 125 years.

Source: Encyclopedia Britannica