James Stetson Metcalfe (June 27, 1858 – May 26, 1927) was an American drama critic who wrote for '' Life Magazine'' and ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

''.

Early life

Metcalfe was born on June 27, 1858, in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

. He was a son of James Harvey Metcalfe (1822–1879) and Erzelia Frances ( Stetson) Metcalfe (1832–1913). Among his siblings were Frances Metcalfe Wolcott (an author who married

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

Lyman K. Bass and U.S. Senator Edward O. Wolcott), George Stetson Metcalfe, and Francis Tyler Metcalfe. His father came to Buffalo from

Bath, New York Bath is a town in Steuben County, New York, United States, with an area of 96.3 square miles (249 km2) and a population of 11,426 in 2020. Its largest settlement is the Village of Bath, which has an area of 2.9 sq mi (7.5 km2) and a population ...

in 1855 and established the family fortune by founding the First National Bank of Buffalo and the Buffalo, New York and Philadelphia Railroad. He was also an early park commissioner and helped implement

Frederick Law Olmsted Frederick Law Olmsted (April 26, 1822August 28, 1903) was an American landscape architect, journalist, social critic, and public administrator. He is considered to be the father of landscape architecture in the USA. Olmsted was famous for co ...

's plan for the city's park system. His paternal great-grandfather was killed in the Tory army at the Battle of Bunker Hill and his grandfather, Thomas Metcalfe, was "taken by his mother to Virginia, where later he freed his Virginia-born slaves and trekked to

Central New York Central New York is the central region of New York State, including the following counties and cities: With a population of about 773,606 (2009) and an area of , the region includes the Syracuse metropolitan area. Definitions The New York ...

". He attended Phillips-Andover Academy and

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

, where he received both his B.A. degree in 1879 and his M.A. degree in 1891.

Career

The Dramatic Critics of the New York Press

In 1883 and 1884, Metcalfe was the editor and publisher of ''The Modern Age'' and from 1885 to 1886, he was an editorial writer for '' The Buffalo Express''. Afterwards, he was the editor of ''The People's Pictorial Express'' for one year and then the manager of the

American Newspaper Publishers Association The News Media Alliance (formerly known as the Newspaper Association of America until 2016 Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for Cell growth, growth, reaction to Stimu ...

'', the popular weekly magazine published in New York. From 1890 to 1895, he was also the literary editor of ''Life'' and for one year, 1919, art editor. He served as the magazine's drama critic for thirty-one years until 1920, writing reviews of plays. While at ''Life'', he was known for his sharp wit and libel lawsuits from those he criticized. After Life, he wrote for ''Judge'' magazine, serving as the art and dramatic editor for two years before becoming the dramatic editor of the ''

'' in 1923. Metcalfe also authored several books including ''Mythology for Moderns'' (1900), ''The American Slave'' (1900), ''Another Three Weeks'' (1908), ''The Diary of a District Messenger'' (1909) and ''Jane Street'' (1921). In 1903, he ran, unsuccessfully, as a Democratic candidate for the 19th District in the New York State Assembly in 1903. In 1915, he established the Metcalfe Prize at Yale for the best essay written on the theatre. In 1919, was made a Knight of the French

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

for his work on behalf of French war orphans.

Personal life

Metcalfe was twice married. His first marriage was in 1896 to Edith Williams (1865–1902), a daughter of Homer M. Williams of Batavia, New York. After her death in 1902, he married actress

Elizabeth Tyree Elizabeth Tyree (November 9, 1864 – August 8, 1952) was an American actress in Broadway theatrical productions beginning in the mid-1890s. Her married name was Elizabeth Tyree Metcalfe. Professionally she was billed as Bess Tyree. Earl ...

(1864–1952) at the Marble Collegiate Church in 1904. Elizabeth was "from an old Virginia family and went on stage after several season in Washington society." Metcalfe died on May 26, 1927 at his home at 2 West 67th Street in New York City. After a funeral service in Buffalo, he was buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery there. His widow, who inherited his estate and was a founder of the Bedford Hills Community House, died at their home in 1952.

References

External links

"Fenimore," James Stetson Metcalfe house, Bedford Hills, New York. Hillside terracing to Lake Marie
at the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Metcalfe, James Stetson 1858 births 1927 deaths People from Buffalo, New York Phillips Academy alumni Yale University alumni American theater critics