Francis Pharcellus Church, American journalist and publisher, co-founded Armed Forces Journal and The Galaxy Magazine (b. 1839)
Francis Pharcellus Church (February 22, 1839 – April 11, 1906) was an American publisher and editor. Born in Rochester, New York, he graduated from Columbia University and embarked on a career in journalism. With his brother, William Conant Church, Francis founded and edited several periodicals: The Army and Navy Journal, The Galaxy, and the Internal Revenue Record and Customs Journal. He was a war correspondent for The New York Times during the American Civil War. He worked at The New York Sun in the early 1860s and again from 1874 till his death, writing thousands of editorials.
In 1897, Church wrote the editorial "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus". Produced in response to a girl's letter asking whether Santa Claus was real, the widely republished editorial has become one of the most famous ever written. He died in New York City and is buried at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.