Theodore Tilton

Theodore Tilton 1835-1907, American journalist, b. New York City. After working for the New York Observer he was (1863-71) editor in chief of the Independent, a Congregationalist weekly. He later managed (1872-74) his own weekly, the Golden Age. A popular lyceum speaker, Tilton supported various social reforms such as woman suffrage. He and his wife were active parishioners of Henry Ward Beecher , whom, in what has been called 19th-cent. America's most famous scandal, Tilton sued (1874) for alleged adultery with Mrs. Tilton. The suit lasted for months and ended in a hung jury. In 1883, Tilton went to Europe, where he lived for the remainder of his life. His publications include a romantic novel, Tempest Tossed (1873), and several volumes of poetry.

Bibliography: See R. Shaplen, Free Love and Heavenly Sinners (1954); R. W. Fox, Trials of Intimacy (2000).

Tilton, Theodore (1835–1907), New York City author and journalist, noted for his editorship of the Independent (1856–71), a Congregationalist journal that attracted wide attention for its championing of such reform movements as antislavery and woman suffrage. Tilton was also extremely popular as a lyceum lecturer, until he brought suit against Henry Ward Beecher for adultery with his wife (1874). The scandal caused a division of public opinion, reflected in the hung jury, but so completely ruined Tilton's reputation that he went abroad (1883), where he spent the remainder of his life. His publications include a sensational romance, Tempest‐Tossed (1874); some musical ballads, Swabian Stories (1882); and Sonnets to the Memory of Frederick Douglass (1895).