John W. Dorrington
Yuma
Arizona, The Youngest State, 1913

John W. Dorrington is one of the pioneers of Arizona and 
Yuma coming here in 1869.  Since 1870 he has lived in the 
same house, which is as familiar to the people of his 
section of the state as he is himself.  For many years 
he was the owner of the Arizona Weekly Sentinel and the 
success of his paper must be ascribed to his ability as a 
newspaper man, but he now lives retired.

Mr. Dorrington was born in New York in 1843, a son of David 
and Ann Dorrington.  The father, who was a carpenter and 
joiner by trade was born in England and came to the United 
States in 1838.  At an early day in the history of the middle 
west he went to Kansas and later made his way to Nebraska 
where he was one of the organizers of the territorial form 
of government of that state.

John W. Dorrington attended the public schools of New York.  
While in Kansas and Nebraska he as connected with the mail 
service, delivering his letters on horseback.  In 1862 he 
enlisted in Company G., Nebraska Volunteers and served 
gallantly and faithfully throughout the Civil War.  
Afterward he did frontier duty in Colorado and came to 
Arizona in 1869, first locating in LaPaz.  In 1870 he 
came to Yuma and has since occupied the house in which 
he now makes his home.  In 1881 Mr. Dorington purchased 
the Arizona Weekly Sentinel which was established in 
1872 and is now the oldest continuously published 
newspaper in the state.  He remained the owner, 
publisher and editor until July 1911 when he sold 
out, after having been for thirty years connected 
with that organ.  




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