Lovejoy, Elijah Parish (1802-1837), was an American clergyman and newspaper editor noted for his opposition to slavery. In 1833, he founded a Presbyterian newspaper, the St. Louis Observer, in which he attacked slavery. After many proslavery protests against him, Lovejoy moved across the Mississippi River to Alton, Illinois, in 1836. There he published the Alton Observer and helped organize the Illinois Anti-Slavery Society. Supporters of slavery wrecked three of his presses and, on Nov. 7, 1837, a mob gathered to destroy his newest press. Lovejoy was killed trying to stop them. Many Northerners became abolitionists after his death.
Lovejoy was born on Nov. 9, 1802, in Albion, Maine. He attended Waterville College (now Colby College) and Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey.
