Bronson Crocker Howard (October 7, 1842 – August 4, 1908) was an American dramatist.

Biography

Howard was born in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

where his father Charles Howard was Mayor in 1849. He prepared for college at New Haven, Conn., but instead of entering

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...

he turned to Journalism in New York. From 1867 to 1872 he worked on several newspapers, among them the ''Evening Mail'' and the ''Tribune''. As early as 1864 he had written a dramatic piece (''Fantine'') which was played in

. His first important play was '' Saratoga'', produced by

Augustin Daly John Augustin Daly (July 20, 1838June 7, 1899) was one of the most influential men in American theatre during his lifetime. Drama critic, theatre manager, playwright, and adapter, he became the first recognized stage director in America. He exer ...

in 1870. It was very successful and became the first of a long series of pieces which gave Mr. Howard a foremost position among American

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

s. He married a sister of Sir Charles Wyndham, the English actor, and he had homes in

New Rochelle, New York New Rochelle (; older french: La Nouvelle-Rochelle) is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state. In 2020, the city had a population of 79,726, making it the seventh-largest in the state of ...

and London, England where some of his plays were no less popular than in America. Bronson Howard was a member of the

American Academy of Arts and Letters The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain excellence" in American literature, music, and art. Its fixed number membership is elected for lifetime appointments. Its headqu ...

. The English newspaper ''The Yorkshire Evening Post'' reported in 1894:

Mr Bronson Howard, the American playwright, calls the first stage of his work, "the smoking stage." He smokes for weeks, even months, only making notes.

He died, aged 65, in

Avon-by-the-Sea, New Jersey Avon-by-the-Sea (often called simply Avon; pronunciation: , ) is a borough in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough's population was 1,901,Young Mrs. Winthrop ''Young Mrs. Winthrop'' is a lost 1920 American silent drama film starring Ethel Clayton. It is based on the 1882 Victorian era Broadway play by Bronson Howard. The film was produced by Famous Players–Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictur ...

'' (1882) * ''One of our Girls'' (1885) * ''The Henrietta'' (1887; revived in 1913 as ''The New Henrietta'') * ''Shenandoah'' (1889) * ''Aristocracy'' (1892) In 1899 he collaborated with

Brander Matthews James Brander Matthews (February 21, 1852 – March 31, 1929) was an American academic, writer and literary critic. He was the first full-time professor of dramatic literature at Columbia University in New York and played a significant role in est ...

in ''Peter Stuyvesant''. *''

The Social Pirates ''The Social Pirates'' is a 1916 American silent film serial directed by James W. Horne. It starred Marin Sais, Ollie Kirkby and True Boardman. It was written by George Bronson Howard and produced by the Kalem Company.''Pictorial History of Silen ...

'', series of stories adapted into a film series

References

Literature

* Moses, M.J. (1911)
''The American Dramatist''
Boston: Little, Brown & Company.

External links

Bronson Howard papers, 1852-1895
held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division,

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, is located in Manhattan, New York City, at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on the Upper West Side, between the Metro ...

* *
Bronson Howard portraits
New York Public Library, Billy Rose collection) {{DEFAULTSORT:Howard, Bronson Writers from Detroit People from Avon-by-the-Sea, New Jersey Writers from New Rochelle, New York American fantasy writers 1842 births 1908 deaths American male novelists American male dramatists and playwrights 19th-century American novelists 19th-century American dramatists and playwrights 19th-century American male writers Novelists from New York (state) Novelists from Michigan Members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters