Charles Rivington (1688 - 1742) was the founding member of the Rivington family of publishers. Starting out as a bookseller in 1736, he moved into publishing, scoring an early success with Samuel Richardson's novel Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded. When Charles Rivington died, the firm passed into the hands of his sons John (1720 - 1792) and James (1724 - 1802), the latter of whom emigrated to New York and published a well-known Loyalist newspaper called Rivington's Gazette during the American Revolution. John maintained the firm's emphasis on Christian literature and theological works, and passed the reins on to his sons Francis (1745–1822) and Charles (1754–1831). Several more generations of Rivingtons carried on the family business, which was eventually sold to Longman in the late 19th century.