Payne, John Howard

Payne, John Howard (1791–1852), playwright and actor. Remembered today primarily as the lyricist of “Home, Sweet Home,” which was part of the operetta Clari, the Maid of Milan (1823), he was a versatile and intriguing figure on early stages. He was born somewhere near New York and raised in Boston, where his father was a schoolmaster. Fascinated by accounts of the English child prodigy Master Betty he pressed his family to allow him to go on the stage. They demurred and sent him instead to serve an apprenticeship in a New York mercantile house. While there, at the age of fourteen, Payne began the publication of one of the earliest American theatrical journals, Thespian Mirror (December 1805 to March 1806). At the same time he wrote his first play, a melodramatic comedy, Julia; or, The Wanderer, that shocked many critics and playgoers. He made his stage debut in 1809 at the Park Theatre as Young Norval in Douglas. He later essayed Hamlet, Rolla in Pizarro, and Palmyra in Mahomet. In Boston his leading lady was Elizabeth Poe, mother of the poet. But he soon concentrated on writing, his comedy Lovers' Vows and others finding success in London before they were presented in his native country. His best‐known works included Brutus (1819), Thérèse (1821), and Charles the Second (1824). Payne is believed to have written between fifty and sixty plays. In 1842 he was appointed by President Tyler as consul at Tunis, where he was serving when he died. Quinn has written, “Payne's position in our dramatic history is a peculiar one. His most significant work was done abroad and his direct inspiration was foreign.” Biography: America's First Hamlet, Grace Overmyer, 1957.