Elijah Lovejoy

Elijah Parish Lovejoy (1802-1837) was an American Presbyterian minister, journalist, and abolitionist who became a martyr to the antislavery cause. He used his newspapers, including the St. Louis Observer and the Alton Observer, to advocate for the abolition of slavery and defend freedom of the press. He was killed on November 7, 1837, while defending his printing press from a pro-slavery mob in Alton, Illinois.