John Silva Meehan (February 6, 1790 – April 24, 1863) was an American publisher, printer, and newspaper editor. Born in New York City, he served in the U.S. Navy during the War of 1812. He then moved to Philadelphia, publishing a Baptist religious journal. When the firm moved to Washington, D.C., in 1822, Meehan edited and published a Baptist weekly newspaper. In late 1825 he purchased the City of Washington Gazette, renaming it the United States' Telegraph and taking a partisan stance. He was appointed as Librarian of Congress in 1828. A large fire in December 1851 destroyed much of the Library of Congress's collection; Meehan oversaw its reconstruction. The election of Abraham Lincoln prompted Meehan's removal in 1861, and he died suddenly in 1863. Historians were critical of Meehan's tenure, noting that he deferred to the Joint Committee on the Library for policy, did not change the library's catalog system, and failed to make progress in transforming the institution into a true national library.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Silva_Meehan

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1579 – Domingo de Salazar, a Spanish Dominican friar, was appointed the first bishop of Manila. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domingo_de_Salazar

1865 – Finland established its modern system of secular municipalities, separate from church parishes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipalities_of_Finland

1922:

Representatives from France, Italy, Japan, the United States, and the United Kingdom signed the Washington Naval Treaty, agreeing to limits on naval construction in the hopes of preventing an arms race. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Naval_Treaty

1987:

Mary Gaudron became the first woman to be appointed a justice of the High Court of Australia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Gaudron

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

F in the chat: (idiomatic, Internet slang, figurative) An expression of condolences, regret, or sympathy. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/F_in_the_chat

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

We are a nation that has a government — not the other way around. And this makes us special among the nations of the Earth. Our Government has no power except that granted it by the people. It is time to check and reverse the growth of government which shows signs of having grown beyond the consent of the governed.   --Ronald Reagan https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ronald_Reagan