Bronson Howard

Howard, Bronson [Crocker] (1842–1908), playwright. Often called “the dean of the American drama,” he is generally considered the first American dramatist to earn a living entirely by playwriting. He came from old American stock, and his father, a successful merchant, served as mayor of Detroit, where Howard was born. Forced to leave Yale because of eye problems, Howard served as drama critic with the Detroit Free Press as he wrote Fantine (1864), a play based on incidents in Hugo's Les Misérables. He then moved to New York, accepting positions with the Tribune and then the Post. In 1870 Augustin Daly produced his Saratoga, a huge success that later played profitably in England and Germany. Howard, however, was uncertain whether its popularity was a fluke, so he continued for several more years in the newspaper field. At the same time he wrote the comedy of manners Diamonds (1872), the drama Moorcroft (1874), and the romance The Banker's Daughter (1878), which remained popular for many years and convinced Howard to abandon newspaper work. Several lesser plays followed before he wrote the social plays Young Mrs. Winthrop (1882) and One of Our Girls (1885). His last popular works were the comedy‐drama The Henrietta (1887) and the Civil War play Shenandoah (1889). Arthur Quinn has written, “It is just because Howard so well illustrated. . .the development of American play‐writing during the period of his creative achievement from 1870 to 1906, that his work becomes of such significance.” Howard fought to have American themes made more welcome on stage and to secure the position of the American playwright. To the latter end, in 1891 he organized the American Dramatists Club, which evolved into the Society of American Dramatists and Composers. Although he left no personal autobiography and no full‐fledged biography of him has been written, his The Autobiography of a Play (1914) gives a detailed, fascinating history of The Banker's Daughter and provides numerous insights into his character.