Francis Neilson (26 January 1867 – 13 April 1961) was an accomplished actor; playwright, stage director; political figure; member of the

British House of Commons The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 mem ...

; avid lecturer; author of more than 60 books, plays and opera librettos and the most active leader in the

Georgist Georgism, also called in modern times Geoism, and known historically as the single tax movement, is an economic ideology holding that, although people should own the value they produce themselves, the economic rent derived from land—including ...

movement.

Early life

Born Francis Butters, the eldest of nine siblings, in Claughton Road,

Birkenhead Birkenhead (; cy, Penbedw) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England; historically, it was part of Cheshire until 1974. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the south bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liver ...

, England, he was the son of a

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...

father, Francis Turley Butters and a Scottish mother from

Dundee Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...

, Isabella Neilson Hume. He attended the

Liverpool Institute for Boys The Liverpool Institute High School for Boys was an all-boys grammar school in the English port city of Liverpool. The school had its origins in 1825 but occupied different premises while the money was found to build a dedicated building on ...

. Several accounts explain that because of his large family, Neilson left school at the age of fourteen and moved to the United States at the age of eighteen. Nevertheless, the British Census of 1881 records the Butters' household as having 12 people, including 8 children and two maids. The census also records Francis Butters (Neilson's father) as a restaurant keeper.

Move to US

In the United States, after arriving in New York City, and paying fifteen dollars for a

hansom cab The hansom cab is a kind of horse-drawn carriage designed and patented in 1834 by Joseph Hansom, an architect from York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, ...

ride from the docks to his guest house, Neilson worked several odd jobs which included a

longshoreman A stevedore (), also called a longshoreman, a docker or a dockworker, is a waterfront manual laborer who is involved in loading and unloading ships, trucks, trains or airplanes. After the shipping container revolution of the 1960s, the number o ...

, a labourer in

Central Park Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West Side, Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the List of New York City parks, fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban par ...

(years later he lived at the

Savoy-Plaza Hotel The Savoy-Plaza Hotel was a 33-story hotel overlooking Central Park at Fifth Avenue and East 59th Street (Manhattan), 59th Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It opened in 1927 and was demolished in 1965. History Original Savoy Hotel The ...

, overlooking that park), and some clerical work. After meeting an African-American man surnamed Johnson, who because of his colour worked as a porter despite of his college degree, Neilson became fascinated with education and at times "…went hungry to buy books". This fascination led him to

Henry George Henry George (September 2, 1839 – October 29, 1897) was an American political economist and journalist. His writing was immensely popular in 19th-century America and sparked several reform movements of the Progressive Era. He inspired the eco ...

, of whom he became a devoted follower. During his stay in the United States, he married Catherine O'Gorman; they had two daughters, Isabel and Marion. Isabel Neilson, an accomplished sculptor, married

Prince Hermann of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

in 1932 and became Princess Herman of Saxe-Weimar, and Marion Neilson married Captain Hugh Melville, Sam Browne's Cavalry.

Theatre and opera

Neilson's first success came in the following years after his discovery of

's teachings, where he became well known and respected for his writing, acting, and directing. The

Internet Broadway Database The Internet Broadway Database (IBDB) is an online database of Broadway theatre productions and their personnel. It was conceived and created by Karen Hauser in 1996 and is operated by the Research Department of The Broadway League, a trade assoc ...

, records him as a director of ''The Little Princess'' in January 1903, first at the

Criterion Theatre The Criterion Theatre is a West End theatre at Piccadilly Circus in the City of Westminster, and is a Grade II* listed building. It has a seating capacity of 588. Building the theatre In 1870, the caterers Spiers and Pond began development ...

and later at the Savoy Theatre; and as the playwright of ''A Butterfly on The Wheel'' in January 1912, at the 39th Street Theatre. In New York, he befriended director

Anton Seidl Anton Seidl (7 May 185028 March 1898) was a famous Hungarian Wagner conductor, best known for his association with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City and the New York Philharmonic. Biography He was born in Pest, Austria-Hungary, where he ...

who took him to Germany and introduced him to

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

's family in

Bayreuth Bayreuth (, ; bar, Bareid) is a town in northern Bavaria, Germany, on the Red Main river in a valley between the Franconian Jura and the Fichtelgebirge Mountains. The town's roots date back to 1194. In the 21st century, it is the capital of U ...

. This led him out of the United States and back to London. He came back to London as a stage director for

Charles Frohman Charles Frohman (July 15, 1856 – May 7, 1915) was an American theater manager and producer, who discovered and promoted many stars of the American stage. Notably, he produced ''Peter Pan'', both in London and the US, the latter production ...

at the

Duke of York's Theatre The Duke of York's Theatre is a West End theatre in St Martin's Lane, in the City of Westminster, London. It was built for Frank Wyatt and his wife, Violet Melnotte, who retained ownership of the theatre until her death in 1935. Designed by th ...

. Later Neilson was invited to direct the national opera at

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...

, which he remodelled completely in 1900. The first opera to be produced there was

Puccini Giacomo Puccini (Lucca, 22 December 1858Bruxelles, 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he was descended from a long lin ...

's ''

Tosca ''Tosca'' is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900. The work, based on Victorien Sardou's 1 ...

''. Puccini himself was at the theatre supervising the production. The encounter of the two men triggered an interest that took Neilson to invite Puccini to see a private performance of the play ''

Madame Butterfly ''Madama Butterfly'' (; ''Madame Butterfly'') is an opera in three acts (originally two) by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It is based on the short story " Madame Butterfly" (1898) by John Lut ...

'', playing then at the Duke of York's Theatre.

later requested Neilson to direct the opera at

La Scala La Scala (, , ; abbreviation in Italian of the official name ) is a famous opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the ' (New Royal-Ducal Theatre alla Scala). The premiere performan ...

in Milan; however, this never came to pass due to Neilson's other commitments.

Political career

In the early 1900s, he began his pursuit of politics. His first bid for a parliamentary seat was for the Newport Division of

in 1906; he lost to the Conservative incumbent, William Kenyon-Slaney, by a margin of 176 votes. He was also unsuccessful in the 1908 Newport by-election. He was elected as Member of Parliament for the constituency of Hyde in Cheshire in 1910. During his time in parliament, he was well acquainted with both Prime Ministers:

Asquith Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith, (12 September 1852 – 15 February 1928), generally known as H. H. Asquith, was a British statesman and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party politician who served as Prime Minister of ...

and

Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor, (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. He was a Liberal Party (United Kingdom), Liberal Party politician from Wales, known for lea ...

. Interested in radical politics, he entered in the progress of the Land Values Movement. His multiple contributions to the liberal agenda made him frequent the Liberal Headquarters, at Parliament Street, and tour the country giving speeches in support of

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

candidates. He resigned from parliament in 1916 after his pacifist beliefs conflicted with the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Return to US

He returned to the United States, where he became a citizen in 1921 and began pursuing his writing career. In the US, he met Helen Swift, an heiress of the Swift Meat Packing Business and the widow of Edward Morris, President of Morris & Company, another meat packing company. They were married in 1917. Together, they endowed many charities, and contributed to many institutions, including the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

, Ripon College,

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

in New York, the

Archaeological Institute of America The Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) is North America's oldest society and largest organization devoted to the world of archaeology. AIA professionals have carried out archaeological fieldwork around the world and AIA has established re ...

, the

Liverpool Cathedral Liverpool Cathedral is the Cathedral of the Anglican Diocese of Liverpool, built on St James's Mount in Liverpool, and the seat of the Bishop of Liverpool. It may be referred to as the Cathedral Church of Christ in Liverpool (as recorded in the ...

, and

Boston Museum of Fine Arts The Museum of Fine Arts (often abbreviated as MFA Boston or MFA) is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the 20th-largest art museum in the world, measured by public gallery area. It contains 8,161 paintings and more than 450,000 works ...

Author

His antiwar book ''How Diplomats Make War'' (1915) went through several printings and translations. He went on to write over sixty books, along with many other forms of writing such as articles, plays, and an opera. Neilson co-edited a journal of opinion and literary criticism, titled ''

The Freeman ''The Freeman'' (formerly published as ''The Freeman: Ideas on Liberty'' or ''Ideas on Liberty'') was an American libertarian magazine, formerly published by the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE). It was founded in 1950 by John Chamberl ...

'' between 1920 and 1924.

Legacy

In 1935, as President of the Chicago Chapter of the

and in co-ordination with the

University of Liverpool , mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning , established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...

, he organised and endowed an archaeological expedition to the

Near East The ''Near East''; he, המזרח הקרוב; arc, ܕܢܚܐ ܩܪܒ; fa, خاور نزدیک, Xāvar-e nazdik; tr, Yakın Doğu is a geographical term which roughly encompasses a transcontinental region in Western Asia, that was once the hist ...

, to research lands of biblical time. Archaeologist

John Garstang John Garstang (5 May 1876 – 12 September 1956) was a British archaeologist of the Ancient Near East, especially Egypt, Sudan, Anatolia and the southern Levant. He was the younger brother of Professor Walter Garstang, FRS, a marine biol ...

, at the age of sixty, was enthusiastically in charge of the excavations, with much success at the site of the port of

Mersin Mersin (), also known as İçel, is a large city and a port on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast of southern Turkey. It is the provincial capital of Mersin Province, Mersin (İçel) Province. It is made up of four municipalities and dis ...

in southern Turkey. On October 6, 1949, the Francis Neilson Trust Fund was founded "for the promotion and encouragement of education in the cultural arts and sciences among the choirboys and members of the Cross Guild under the age of twenty one and for the costs and expenses in the promotion of special services sanctioned by the Dean." A few years before his death, Neilson lost his sight. He was assisted in writing his last book, ''Ur to Nazareth'', by his literary secretary, K. Phyllis Evans. Neilson also wrote a two-volume autobiography, ''My Life in Two Worlds''. Neilson was a benefactor of the

, to which he donated antiquities and several paintings, including ''A Winter Carnival in a Small Flemish Town'', ''Portrait of a Man, Possibly George Frederick Handel'', and ''The Pelkus Gate near Utrecht''. Neilson's late wife,

Helen Swift Neilson Helen Swift Neilson (1869 – 18 June 1945) was an American writer and art collector. Biography Neilson was the daughter of Annie Maria (née Higgins) and Gustavus Franklin Swift, founder of the meatpacking company Swift & Co. Her first husband ...

, had bequeathed ''Portrait of a Young Woman with a Fan'', by

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (, ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), usually simply known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker and draughtsman. An innovative and prolific master in three media, he is generally consid ...

, for which she had paid $250,000 in 1930; ''Rembrandt Harmensz'' (Dutch, 1606–1669); the ''Portrait of Mrs. Thomas Pechell'', and ''1799''. The

was given

John Singer Sargent John Singer Sargent (; January 12, 1856 – April 14, 1925) was an American expatriate artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Edwardian-era luxury. He created roughly 900 oil paintings and more ...

's painting ''A Capriote''.

also received support from Neilson in the form of a collection of Organ and Choral Works which he sponsored; the organ at the Cathedral also bears his name. The Francis Neilson Trust supports music and choristers at the cathedral.

Death

Francis Neilson died, aged 94, on 13 April 1961 in Port Washington,

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

, New York. He was cremated and his remains interred at Liverpool Cathedral.

Publications

*''How Diplomats Make War

1915 *''Duty to Civilization'', 1921 *''The Eleventh Commandment'', 1933 *''Man at the Crossroads'', 1938 *''The Tragedy of Europe'' (5 vols.), 1940–1945 *''In Quest of Justice'', 1944 *''Makers of War'', 1950 *''My Life in Two Worlds'', 1952 *''The Churchill Legend'', 1954 *''From Ur to Nazareth'', 1960 *''Control from the Top'', 1933. *''Sociocratic Escapades'', 1934. *''Modern Man and the Liberal Arts'', 1947

Opera librettos and plays

*''La Vivandiere'' (1893; with music by

Victor Herbert Victor August Herbert (February 1, 1859 – May 26, 1924) was an American composer, cellist and conductor of English and Irish ancestry and German training. Although Herbert enjoyed important careers as a cello soloist and conductor, he is be ...

) *''

Prince Ananias ''Prince Ananias'' was the first operetta composed by Victor Herbert. The libretto is by Francis Neilson. It was first produced by a troupe called "The Bostonians" at The Broadway Theatre on November 20, 1894, directed by Jerome Sykes. It rema ...

'' (1894, with music by

) *'' Manabozo'' (1899; composed for

) *''The Bath Road'' (1902) – a romantic comedy in three acts *''The Crucible'' (1911) – a drama in three acts *''A Butterfly on The Wheel'' (1911) – a drama in four acts *''The Sin-Eaters Hallowe'en'' (1924) -, a fantasy play in one act and two scenes *''A Mixed Foursome'' (1924) – a comedy in three acts *''The Impossible Philanthropist'' (1924) – a comedy in four acts *''The Day Before Commencement'' (1925) – a comedy in four acts *''The Queen Nectaria'' (1927) – a fantasy in four acts *''Le Braiser De Sang'' (1929) – a drama in two acts; produced in Paris

Novels

*''Madame Bohemia'', 1900 *''The Wise'', 1903 *''Ralph Voyce'', 1913 *''A Strong Man's House'', 1916 *''The House of the Big Yard'', 1936

References

Mrs. Morris marries British Statesman Francis Neilson
*Neilson, Francis. My Life in Two Worlds: Volume I 1867–1915. Appleston: C.C. Nelson Publishing Co., 1952.
The Churchill Legend"The Making of a Tyrant"
An Anti-War essay by Neilson.
Francis Neilson, Lectures at the University of IowaFrancis Neilson, Library of Congress
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20071027003046/http://www.mfa.org/collections/search_art.asp?recview=true&id=32955&coll_keywords=Helen+Swift&coll_accession=&coll_name=&coll_artist=&coll_place=&coll_medium=&coll_culture=&coll_classification=&coll_credit=&coll_provenance=&coll_location=&coll_has_images=&coll_on_view=&coll_sort=0&coll_sort_order=0&coll_view=0&coll_package=0&coll_start=1 Boston Museum of Fine Arts Bequest of Helen Swift Neilson, 1946]

External links

*
Francis Neilson Papers
at the

University of Manchester Library The University of Manchester Library is the library system and information service of the University of Manchester. The main library is on the Oxford Road campus of the university, with its entrance on Burlington Street. There are also ten other ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Neilson, Francis 1867 births 1961 deaths English emigrants to the United States English male dramatists and playwrights English male non-fiction writers English pacifists English political writers Georgist politicians Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies Morris family (meatpacking) People educated at Liverpool Institute High School for Boys People from Birkenhead People from Long Island People from Newport, Shropshire UK MPs 1910–1918