About

The Georgia Collegian published its first issue in February of 1870 as a bi-weekly paper for and by the students of the University of Georgia. The Demosthenian and Phi Kappa literary societies staffed the editorial board with term-limited editors, and the paper published out of the offices of the Southern Watchman. With Athens already having a robust local newspaper, the college paper focused largely on items concerning the University. The Collegian’s typically eight-page issues featured an array of items such as editorial essays, poetry, correspondence with other colleges, and campus news. A debate around the presence of campus secret societies was featured in several editorial essays. In the March 5, 1870 issue, the editors posted a suggestion of a large early donor, Judge Iverson L. Harris, to feature a year-by-year history of Franklin College up to 1870. The paper took this suggestion and began publishing Franklin College’s history on April 30, 1870; these histories continued for the rest of the newspaper’s lifetime. The Collegian maintained an estimated circulation of 275 but ceased publication by 1873.