Antedating of 'press conference'

[Sam Clements]

M-W and OED both use 1937( A Time mag. cite).

The first cite I can find is 30 May, 1870 _NY Times_ page 1/col. 2?(Proquest)
(I can't devine just what this use of the term means)

<<On Wednesday, June 15, the South Carolina State Convention in furtherance of retrenchment and reform is to meet in Columbia, and it is expected that nearly all the counties of the State will be represented.  The Convention is avowedly in opposition to the present State administration; the call is addressed to all citizens, regardless of color, class or party, and it is declared that the object is to secure to South Carolina an able, honest and economical Government, which shall maintain the rights of labor, encourage the influx of capital, and represent, with fidelity and justice, all classes of the people.  The resolutions adopted by the Press Conference are the general basis upon which the Convention meets.>>

That's the oldest I can find.

The next is 5 May, 1893  _Oshkosh(WI) Daily Northwestern 3/2
(from an article about the World's Fair in Chicago)
<<Hurculean efforts are to be put forth to the end that the exposition may be in a completed state by the middle of the month, when several thousand newspaper men and women representing nearly every state in the Union, as well as Canada and many foreign countries will gather here to participate in the great press conference.>>
Not a political use of the term.

The first cite I can find for a "political" press conference is from the NYTimes,  9 June, 1909  page 4(Proquest)
<<The indorsement of Lord Rosebery's pronouncement, contained in Sir Edward Grey's speech at the Imperial Press Conferece to-day, is looked upon....>>

The first US cite I can find for a political "press conference" is from 8 October, 1918 _City Daily Citizen_ Iowa City(IA) 1/2

<<The state department was to give a press conference a 4 o'clock at which hour it was anticipated either the reply or an outline of it would be forthcoming.  <snip>At 4 o'clock a press conference was arranged after President Wildon had consulted with Colonel House, ....>>

Sam Clements