(1839-1901) Actor and playwright. James A. Herne was born James Aherne in Cohoes, New York. He first appeared in a traveling company and later in various roles and organizations throughout the United States. Later he was actor-manager at San Francisco and in 1879 presented his first play, “Hearts of Oak,” which won immediate success. “Drifting … Continued
(1841-1894) Writer. James Montgomery Bailey was born in Albany, New York. He moved to Danbury, Connecticut, in 1860 and, in addition to working as a carpenter, he wrote humorous articles for the local newspapers.
(1898-1943) Writer, poet. Stephen Vincent Benet lived at the Watervliet Arsenal during two separate periods. In 1998 the United States Postal Service issued its fifteenth stamp in the Literary Arts series in honor of Stephen Vincent Benet.
(1913-1986) Writer. James T. Brady lived with his wife, Rita G. Brady, in Albany, New York, where they wrote juvenile short stories and novels.
(1789-1851) James Fenimore Cooper was born in Burlington, New Jersey, and his father soon moved the family and established Cooperstown, New York. Cooper is said to be the father of the American novel with “The Spy” (1821) and “The Pilot” (1823). Cooper also penned a little-known sequence of five novels called “The Leatherstocking Tales,” which … Continued
(1812-1870) Author of “Oliver Twist” and “A Christmas Carol.” Dickens gave his first public reading in the United States at a New York City theatre. on Dec. 2, 1867
(1755-1838) Writer.
(1811-1882) Swedenborgian theologian, writer, father of the philosopher William James and the novelist Henry James, Jr. Henry James, Sr. was born in Albany, New York. Works include “Personal Recollection of Thomas Carlyle,” “Substance and Shadow” (1863), “Literary Remains,” and others.
(1843-1916) Major American novelist, critic. Son of Henry James, Sr., and brother of William James. Henry James, Jr. was born at 21 Washington Place, Greenwich Village, New York, New York, and spent a part of his boyhood in Albany, New York. Privately educated, he entered Harvard Law School in 1862. He was encouraged to write … Continued
(1844-1933) Writer. Charles King was born in Albany, New York, and graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. He wrote or edited over 60 books and novels. He also wrote scripts for some of Buffalo Bill Cody’s silent films.