19th century The
Quad-City Times grew from several predecessors, including the
Democratic Banner and
Blue Ribbon News. The
Democratic Banner was founded in 1848, was sold in 1855 to a group of business owners, and rechristened the
Iowa State Democrat. The
Iowa State Democrat published its first edition on October 15 of that year, with E. T. Eagel as its first publisher. The newspaper underwent many changes throughout its early history, and by 1899, its circulation was 1,300 daily and 2,500 weekly. By 1903, it was known as the
Davenport Democrat.
20th century In 1905, after purchasing its rival newspaper,
The Davenport Leader, the name became
The Davenport Democrat & Leader, under the city editorship of
Ralph W. Cram. The newspaper was sold to
Lee Enterprises in 1915; thereafter, Cram became editor and publisher until 1940.
Davenport was dropped from masthead in 1937, and by 1951 the newspaper adopted the name of
Morning Democrat. The
Blue Ribbon News began publication in 1878; by 1886, it was known as the
Davenport Daily Times. The newspaper, which struggled for many years, was sold in 1899 to A. W. Lee (founder of
Lee Enterprises) for $120,000. Both newspapers continued to grow in circulation before being combined into one newspaper
Times-Democrat in 1964. By 1974, with circulation expanding throughout eastern Iowa and western Illinois, the newspaper was given its current name. In December 1989, the
Quad-City Times moved into its current building at 500 E. Third St., in
Davenport, Iowa. The facility, completed for $23.8million, includes a five-story press room, mail room, warehouse, and editorial offices. The facility also houses Trico, the newspaper's commercial printing business. The
Quad-City Times has been on the leading edge of technology, becoming the first all-electronic newspaper in 1973. Electronic pagination began in 1988, with all-digital photography taking root by 1994.
Brent Bozell scandal In 2014, it was revealed that
L. Brent Bozell III, whose conservative column the
Quad-City Times had been publishing, was not written by Bozell at all but by designated
ghostwriters. Following the revelation, the
Quad-City Times dropped Bozell's column, reporting that, "Bozell may have been comfortable representing others' work as his own. We're not. The latest disclosure convinces us Bozell has no place on our print or web pages." Current
Quad-City Times columnists include Roy Booker, Linda Cook, Matt Coss, Jennifer DeWitt, Don Doxsie, Alma Gaul, and Barb Ickes. The current editor is Matt Christensen, and Deb Anselm is the publisher. In November 2025,
The Quad-City Times moved to a six day printing schedule, eliminating its printed Monday edition. ==Other editions==