CQ Press History

CQ Press, a division of Congressional Quarterly Inc. (CQ), is the premier publisher of books, directories, periodicals, and electronic products on American government and politics, with an expanding list in international affairs.

Over the years, CQ Press publications have won numerous awards. In 2002 The CQ Researcher, a weekly print periodical and online reference database covering today's most debated social and political issues, won the ABA Silver Gavel Award for its series on liberty and justice. The Society of Professional Journalists honored it with a Sigma Delta Chi Award of Excellence in 2000 for a series on healthcare.

In 2002 the CQ Press Library Reference Group--renowned for authoritative print references considered indispensable to libraries nationwide--launched the CQ Electronic Library (CQEL), which has subsequently grown into a suite of eight online reference databases. Today, CQEL is the definitive resource for researching American government, politics, political history, public policy, and current affairs. Since its introduction, CQEL has received outstanding reviews from library industry press. The Association of American Publishers' Professional/Scholarly Publishing Division (PSP) has named three CQEL modules the Best New Electronic Product in the Social Sciences.

The CQ Press College Group has been quite successful in its publication of political science textbooks. The College Group combines innovative titles with well-known classics, all of which maintain CQ Press's high standards of quality and distinction. The press has long been a leading publisher of American government titles and has recently expanded its offerings to include works on public administration and international studies. CQ Press ranked first among commercial publishers for reputation for quality in a survey of political science professors conducted by Larry P. Goodman, Bradford Dillman, and Anil Hira. Their survey results were published in the June 1999 issue of PS, a publication of the American Political Science Association.

The CQ Press Professional Group publishes the widely recognized Staff Directories series comprised of the Congressional Staff Directory, the Federal Staff Directory, and the Judicial Staff Directory. These contain the most authoritative and comprehensive contact information on the federal government. Each subscription features multiple print editions each year and is complemented with Web-based free daily updates. The Congressional Staff Directory features content from Bernan's Almanac of the Unelected, providing in-depth biographical information on key behind-the-scenes policy advocates. The Professional Group also is the custom provider of judiciary staff directory content to the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. The Congressional Staff Directory has been published continuously since 1959, the Federal Staff Directory since 1982, and the Judicial Staff Directory since 1986.

CQ Press ultimately owes its existence to Nelson Poynter, publisher of the St. Petersburg Times who founded CQ in 1945. Poynter entrusted CQ with the mission of promoting democracy through education, insisting on excellence, editorial integrity, and independent ownership, the last of which he described as a “sacred trust and a great privilege.” He felt that ownership inherently entailed a responsibility to the community. Another of Poynter's contributions was the Modern Media Institute, which he founded in St. Petersburg and was renamed the Poynter Institute for Media Studies after his death. CQ Press, as a subsidiary of the Times Publishing Company, continues to embrace Nelson Poynter’s values.