James Jeffrey Roche (May 31, 1847April 3, 1908) was an Irish-American poet, journalist and diplomat. Roche emigrated as a young child, and grew up in

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has seve ...

, Canada. He came to Boston in 1866, and joined the staff of the Irish newspaper. He became editor-in-chief in 1890, and was a leading spokesman for Catholic intellectuals in New England. When most Democrats in the region deserted

William Jennings Bryan William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) was an American lawyer, orator and politician. Beginning in 1896, he emerged as a dominant force in the History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, running ...

in 1896, Roche and the ''Boston Pilot'' gave Brian strong support. At the end of his life he was the American

Consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throug ...

in Switzerland.O'Donoghue, D. J., ''The poets of Ireland'', 1912.Arthur Mann, ''Yankee reformers in the urban age: social reform in Boston, 1880-1900'' (1954) pp 44-51

Life and works

Through his father, Edward Roche, an able mathematician and scholar, who occupied the office of Provincial Librarian in Prince Edward Island, he inherited the literary quality dominant in his temperament and his art. The family settled in Prince Edward Island in the same year as his birth. The boy was educated by his father, and later in

St. Dunstan's College ) , type = Public SchoolIndependent day school , chair_label = Chairman of Governors , chair = Paul Durgan , head_label = Head , head = Nicholas Hewlett , address = Stanstead Road, Catford , city = London Bo ...

. Here, at the age of fifteen, foreshadowing his career, he turned journalist and proudly edited the college weekly "unto the urn and ashes" of its infant end. His youth had a fair share of spirited adventure, an encountering of odd characters and scenes, a sharp observance of events, and a close, rapid, honest mental life.''

The Magazine of poetry ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'', Vol.1 (1889)

Charles Wells Moulton Charles Wells Moulton (1859–1913) was an American poet, critic, editor, and publisher. He was the founding editor of ''The Magazine of Poetry and Literary Review'', and the publisher of ''A Woman of the Century A, or a, is the first Lett ...

, Buffalo, New York In 1866 he went to Boston, became a businessman and prospered there, but later reverted to literature, his early love and first unconscious choice. In print he was noted for an absurd, unique humor. Already married, in 1883 he joined the staff of the Boston ''Boston Pilot'' as an assistant editor under

John Boyle O'Reilly John Boyle O'Reilly (28 June 1844 – 10 August 1890) was an Irish poet, journalist, author and activist. As a youth in Ireland, he was a member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, or Fenians, for which he was transported to Western Australia ...

, and later became editor of the newspaper. At this time he wrote a ''History of the Filibusters in Spanish America'', a novel, and a drama. In 1886, he published ''Songs and Satires''. File:James Jeffrey Roche Tombstone Holyhood Cemetery.jpg, James Jeffrey Roche Tombstone in

Holyhood Cemetery Holyhood Cemetery is a cemetery located in Brookline, Massachusetts. Description Laid out in 1857, the cemetery was designed to reflect the rural cemetery movement begun at Cambridge's Mount Auburn Cemetery. It was the first such cemetery in B ...

File:James Jeffrey Roche Marker Holyhood Cemetery.jpg, Bronze plaque embedded in the rock face next to the tombstone for James Jeffrey Roche in Holyhood Cemetery

Works

*''Songs and Satires'' (1887) Boston & Cambridge (USA) *''Life of John Boyle O'Reilly'' (1891) *''Ballads of Blue Water'' (1895) Boston *''The Vase and Other Bric-a-brac'' (1900) *''Her Majesty the King, A Romance of the Harem'' (1901)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Roche, James Jeffrey 1847 births 1908 deaths Writers from Prince Edward Island Irish emigrants (before 1923) to the United States Irish poets Writers from Boston American male journalists American diplomats Saint Dunstan's University alumni 19th-century poets Irish male poets 19th-century American male writers People from Mountmellick Burials at Holyhood Cemetery (Brookline) Writers from County Laois

Life and works

Works

Further reading

References

External links