On April 11, 1842, George H. French began publication of the Daily News, as a single broadsheet paper.At the time, Texas was an independent Republic, with Sam Houston serving as president, and Galveston was its largest port and primary city.[4] During the Civil War, the Daily News was briefly published in Houston, after Galveston was occupied by Union forces, but by 1866, it had returned.In June 1967 Galveston Newspapers Inc., purchased the paper and changed The News to daily morning format.[7][8] In November 2011 the paper dropped the "Galveston County" moniker and returned to its original name, The Daily News.