Levy, Joseph Moses

Joseph Moses Levy, (born December 15, 1812, London, England—died October 12, 1888, Ramsgate, Kent), English newspaperman, founder of the London newspaper Daily Telegraph.

Levy was educated at Bruce Castle school and in Germany. He acquired a printing shop on Fleet Street in London and, in 1855, became proprietor of the Sunday Times (which he kept for a year) and the Daily Telegraph and Courier, which he acquired from a Colonel Sleigh in settlement of debts. The paper’s name was abbreviated to Daily Telegraph and became the first London daily to sell for a penny.

With the assistance of his eldest son, Edward (see Burnham, Edward Levy-Lawson, 1st Baron), Levy created one of the most dynamic and creative newspapers of his time, surpassing its rivals in circulation in the 1870s. He invested heavily in the enterprise, hired some of the leading writers and journalists of the day, and contributed many of the artistic and theatrical articles himself.