Howard Overing Sturgis (January 30, 1855 – February 7, 1920) was an English-language novelist who wrote about same-sex love. Of American parentage, he lived and worked in Britain.

Early life

"Howdie," as he was known to his intimates, was born in London on 30 January 1855 into an affluent

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

American family. His father,

Russell Sturgis Russell Sturgis (; October 16, 1836 – February 11, 1909) was an American architect and art critic of the 19th and early 20th centuries. He was one of the founders of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1870. Sturgis was born in Baltimore Count ...

, was a China trader and lawyer who later became head of

Barings Bank Barings Bank was a British merchant bank based in London, and one of England's List of oldest banks in continuous operation, oldest merchant banks after Berenberg Bank, Barings' close collaborator and German representative. It was founded in 1762 ...

in London. His mother was Russell's third wife, Julia Overing (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Boit) Sturgis. Among his siblings were brothers Julian (who also became a novelist) and

Henry Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

(who became MP for

South Dorset South Dorset is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Richard Drax, a Conservative. The constituency was created as a consequence of the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, although the area cover ...

) and sister Mary (wife of

Bertram Falle, 1st Baron Portsea Bertram Godfray Falle, 1st Baron Portsea (21 November 1859 – 1 November 1948), known as Sir Bertram Falle, Bt, between 1916 and 1930, was a Jersey-born barrister and politician in the United Kingdom. Background and education Falle was born on ...

). From his father's earlier marriage, he had an elder half-brother,

John Hubbard Sturgis John Hubbard Sturgis (August 5, 1834 – February 14, 1888)Boit, Robert Apthorp p. 207 was an American architect and builder who was active in the New England area during the late 19th century. His most prominent works included Codman House, Li ...

, who was a noted Boston architect. He was described as "a delicate child, closely attached to his mother, and fond of such girlish hobbies as needlepoint and knitting, which he continued to practice throughout his life." His parents sent him to be educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

. He went on to study at

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

, where he graduated with a BA degree in 1878. He became a friend of the novelists

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 ...

and

Edith Wharton Edith Wharton (; born Edith Newbold Jones; January 24, 1862 – August 11, 1937) was an American novelist, short story writer, and interior designer. Wharton drew upon her insider's knowledge of the upper-class New York "aristocracy" to portray ...

Career

Sturgis's first novel, ''Tim: A Story of School Life'' (1891), was published anonymously and was dedicated to the "love that surpasses the love of women." It describes the love of two youths at boarding-school and was "based on his unhappy days at Eton." It was followed in 1895 by ''All that was possible,'' an

epistolary novel An epistolary novel is a novel written as a series of letters. The term is often extended to cover novels that intersperse documents of other kinds with the letters, most commonly diary entries and newspaper clippings, and sometimes considered ...

about an actress who retires from London to a remote valley in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. Sturgis' first two novels were successful as far as sales were concerned; but his third, '' Belchamber'' (1904), failed to gain the same plaudits. Although

praised it,

found it unsatisfactory,Borklund, Elmer.
Howard Sturgis, Henry James, and ''Belchamber''
. ''Modern Philology'', Vol. 58, No. 4 (May, 1961) and let Sturgis know in several letters. Afterwards Sturgis went on to publish only one short story (1908), about a lesser writer driven suicidal by the criticism of a greater, and a memorial on his friend, Anne Thackeray.

Personal life

After the death of his mother in 1888, he bought a country house named Queen's Acre ("Qu’acre"), near

Windsor Great Park Windsor Great Park is a Royal Park of , including a deer park, to the south of the town of Windsor on the border of Berkshire and Surrey in England. It is adjacent to the private Home Park, which is nearer the castle. The park was, for many ...

and moved there with his lover, William Haynes-Smith (1871–1937), known to all as "the Babe." Haynes-Smith was the son of the English colonial administrator Sir

William Haynes-Smith Sir William Frederick Haynes-Smith (26 June 1839 – 18 December 1928) was an English colonial administrator in the British Empire. Early life Haynes-Smith was born in Blackheath, Kent on 26 June 1839. He was the fifth son of John Lucie Smith ...

. At Qu’acre, they frequently entertained a wide group of friends, including Wharton, James and the translator

Gerard Hopkins Gerard Manley Hopkins (28 July 1844 – 8 June 1889) was an English poet and Jesuit priest, whose posthumous fame placed him among leading Victorian poets. His prosody – notably his concept of sprung rhythm – established him as an innova ...

. Sturgis died at

Windsor, Berkshire Windsor is a historic market town and unparished area in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British monarch. The town is situated west of ...

on 7 February 1920. Four years after his death, Haynes-Smith married Howard's niece, Alice Maud Russell Sturgis (a daughter of his elder half-brother

), at

Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts Manchester-by-the-Sea (also known simply as Manchester, its name prior to 1989) is a coastal town on Cape Ann, in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The town is known for scenic beaches and vista points. According to the 2020 population ...

. Both were in their 50s when they married.

Legacy

After his death appreciations of him were published by A. C. Benson (1924),

(1934),

E. M. Forster Edward Morgan Forster (1 January 1879 – 7 June 1970) was an English author, best known for his novels, particularly ''A Room with a View'' (1908), ''Howards End'' (1910), and ''A Passage to India'' (1924). He also wrote numerous short stori ...

(1936) and

George Santayana Jorge Agustín Nicolás Ruiz de Santayana y Borrás, known in English as George Santayana (; December 16, 1863 – September 26, 1952), was a Spanish and US-American philosopher, essayist, poet, and novelist. Born in Spain, Santayana was raised ...

(1944), his cousin. His great-nephew is the journalist and novelist Henry Porter.

Works

*''Tim: A Story of School Life'' (1891) nonymously published*''All That Was Possible'' (1895) *'' Belchamber'' (1904) *'On the Pottlecombe Cornice', in ''

Fortnightly Review ''The Fortnightly Review'' was one of the most prominent and influential magazines in nineteenth-century England. It was founded in 1865 by Anthony Trollope, Frederic Harrison, Edward Spencer Beesly, and six others with an investment of £9,000; ...

'' (1908) hort story

References

External links

GLBTQ.com
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sturgis, Howard 1855 births 1920 deaths People educated at Eton College Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge British people of American descent English gay writers Novelists from London 19th-century British novelists 20th-century British novelists 19th-century American novelists 20th-century American novelists American male novelists English LGBT novelists 19th-century American male writers 20th-century English male writers 20th-century American male writers Sturgis family