Charles Hamilton Aide (sometimes written as Aidé or Aïdé; 4 November 1826 – 13 December 1906) was "for many years a conspicuous figure in London literary society, a writer of novels, songs and dramas of considerable merit and popularity, and a skillful amateur artist". In particular, Aide was "known for such widely anthologized lyrics as 'Love, the Pilgrim', 'Lost and Found' and 'George Lee'".

Biography

Aide was born in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, France. His father, an

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

merchant, was killed in a duel when Aide was four years old. He was thereafter raised in England by his mother, who was the daughter of British Admiral

George Collier Vice Admiral Sir George Collier (11 May 1732 – 6 April 1795) was an officer of the Royal Navy who saw service during the Seven Years' War, the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary Wars. As commander of the fourth-rate shi ...

. Aide attended the

University of Bonn The Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University of Bonn (german: Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn) is a public research university located in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded in its present form as the ( en, Rhine U ...

, then served in the British army seven years until 1853, attaining the rank of captain.Jeffrey Richards, ''Sir Henry Irving: A Victorian Actor and His World'' (2007), p. 167. A lifelong bachelor, Aide lived in Lyndhurst with his mother. After her death in 1875, he then "took rooms at Queen Anne's Gate where he hosted a celebrated salon which drew 'the chief figures in the social and artistic world of France as well as England'". He was one of the male companions of

Henry James Henry James ( – ) was an American-British author. He is regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the ...

, who characterised him as "the

Diane de Poitiers Diane de Poitiers (9 January 1500 – 25 April 1566) was a French noblewoman and prominent courtier. She wielded much power and influence as King Henry II's royal mistress and adviser until his death. Her position increased her wealth and family' ...

of our time". He died in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, leaving his papers to

Morton Fullerton William Morton Fullerton (18 September 1865 – 26 August 1952) was an American print journalist, author and foreign correspondent for ''The Times''. Today he is best known for having a mid-life affair with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edith Wha ...

Legacy

His entry in the ''

Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'' sets forth that Aide was: Aide left his papers to American author

, then a correspondent for

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

in their Paris office, with open-ended instructions "to manipulate, to publish, or to burn as you think fit".Marion Mainwaring, ''Mysteries of Paris: The Quest for Morton Fullerton'' (2001), p. 41. His estate was sworn at £43,000 gross. His remaining literary copyrights were bequeathed to Lady Stanley.

References

External links

* * * * * Hamilton Aïdé Papers. General Collection of Books and Manuscripts. Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. {{DEFAULTSORT:Aide, Charles Hamilton 1826 births 1906 deaths British people of Armenian descent English dramatists and playwrights People from Lyndhurst, Hampshire Writers from Paris French male dramatists and playwrights English male novelists French male novelists 19th-century English novelists 19th-century British dramatists and playwrights 19th-century English male writers