Person

John Peter Zenger

1697–1746 · 18th century

John Peter Zenger was a German-born printer in New York City whose New-York Weekly Journal attacked Governor William Cosby. Arrested for seditious libel, he was acquitted by a jury in 1735 after his lawyer Andrew Hamilton argued that printing the truth could not be libel. The case became a landmark in the history of press freedom in America.

John Peter Zenger — Image: [Andrew Hamilton defending John Peter Zenger in court, 1734-1735, unknown artist · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Province of New York

See also

Cite this entry

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). John Peter Zenger. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/john-peter-zenger
MLA: “John Peter Zenger.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/john-peter-zenger. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “John Peter Zenger.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/john-peter-zenger.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘John Peter Zenger’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/john-peter-zenger (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻