You have tweaked my curiosity as to when JR started FR. Perhaps JR or his helpers would be so obliging as to give a brief history of when and why FR was started up. I do recall the days when there was a big squabble with the New York Times and Los Angeles Times as to posting news.
A little FR history from various sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Republic
This two threads go back in time and can give you a flavor of the the beginning. Enjoy the history.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1011545/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/580057/posts