Harper's Encyclopedia of United States History
Benson Lossing, Ed.

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Forney, John Weiss 1817-1881

Journalist; born in Lancaster, Pa., Sept. 30, 1817; purchased the Lancaster Intelligencer in 1837 and three years later the Journal, which papers he amalgamated under the name of the Intelligencer and journal. He subsequently became part owner of the Pennsylvania and Washington Union. He was clerk of the national House of Representatives in 1851-55; started the Press, an independent Democratic journal, in Philadelphia, in 1857, and upon his re-election as clerk of the House of Representatives in 1859 he started [405] the Sunday morning chronicle in Washington. Among his publications are Anecdotes of public men (2 volumes); Forty years of American journalism; A Centennial commissioner in Europe, etc. He died in Philadelphia, Pa., Dec. 9, 1881.