John Howard Payne: America’s First European Star

Cover of the sheet music for "Home Sweet Home," words by John Howard Payne, music by H.R. Bishop, circa 1914. Public Domain

John Howard Payne (1791–1852) was born in East Hampton, the small village on New York’s Long Island (though there’s substantial speculation that he was born in New York City). He was one of nine children born to a father who taught elocution, that is, proper speaking and diction, at Clinton Academy. It was his father’s career that incidentally led to Payne’s successful career.

His father started a school in New York City and then moved the school to Boston. Payne was one of his father’s pupils, and it was during this time that Payne demonstrated a gift for the stage. He was passionate about acting. His father, however, was less enthused. When Payne’s elder brother William died, his father sent Payne to New York City to take his brother’s place at the accounting firm. While working for the firm, Payne took over the editing of, and perhaps the launching of, the theater newspaper the Thespian Mirror.

A portrait of playwright and composer John Howard Payne. Public Domain

His writing ability caught the attention of several businessmen, including a local newspaper editor. They sent him to Union College in Schenectady, New York, to develop his skills. While there, at 15 years old, Payne wrote his first play, entitled “Julia, or, The Wanderer.” His time at the college lasted two years until family finances caused him to drop out. But the die had been cast.

A Brilliant Debut

Shortly before his 18th birthday on Feb. 24, 1809, at Park Theater, Payne made his stage debut in the lead role in the John Home drama “The Tragedy of Douglas, or the Noble Shepherd.” His debut was a major success. He toured throughout the region, performing in cities like Baltimore, Boston, Charleston, Norfolk, Philadelphia, and Washington. His financial success matched his professional success, and his father’s uncertainty about his son’s professional future was put to rest.

Despite his success, theater entertainment in America had yet to become a booming industry. Payne’s opportunities to perform became fewer and fewer. When his father died in 1812, numerous friends raised funds to send Payne to Europe to continue his career. The timing, however, was not opportune. When he arrived in 1813, America and Great Britain were at war. For a short period of time, Payne was detained in Liverpool while his passport was examined. Upon his release, Payne  pursued a European career that lasted two decades.

His European debut took place at the prestigious Theatre Royal Drury Lane where he reprised his role in “The Tragedy of Douglas.” Again, Payne’s performance was an instant success. He was not only the first American actor to achieve great acclaim in Europe but was the first American actor to perform in the Old World. Payne’s leading roles included Romeo of William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.” He rubbed shoulders with some of the leading artists of the age, including painters Benjamin West and Samuel F.B. Morse, and writers Walter Scott and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. It appears he also fell in love with Mary Shelley, of “Frankenstein” fame, but the love was unrequited.

An Excellent Playwright

As the years progressed, Payne noticed his acting opportunities again becoming fewer. He decided to pursue the very career that initially brought him his success: writing. His first play, “Brutus, or The Fall of Tarquin,” was produced on Dec. 3, 1818 at Drury Lane. The play was performed to great fanfare, revived several actors’ careers both in Great Britain and America, and was performed consistently throughout the rest of the 19th century.

Payne ultimately wrote more than 60 plays. Two of his most successful plays were written in collaboration with his close friend Washington Irving. One of his most beneficial connections was the famous French actor Francois Joseph Talma, who introduced him to French productions, which Payne adapted throughout his career. The friendship also provided the American free access to the French houses, enabling him to watch performances for free.

The actor, playwright, and theater critic had made important friends and found immense success in theater. When he wrote “Clari, or The Maid of Milan,” it proved to be another successful production. But it was the song “Home, Sweet Home,” which he'd written for the performance, that gained the most traction, becoming an international hit that continued on into the 20th century. Unfortunately for Payne, copyright laws are not what they are today, and his financial returns were greatly limited.

Sheet music of "Home Sweet Home." Public Domain

“Surely there is something strange in the fact that it should have been my lot to cause so many people in the world to boast of the delights of home, when I never had a home of my own, and ever expect to have one now,” he wrote a friend concerning his famous song and his pitiful financial circumstances.

Cherokees and a Consul

When he returned to America in 1832, he became involved in the plight of the Cherokee Nation and their forced removal in Georgia. He lobbied Congress to reverse course on its Indian Removal Act. Befriending John Ross, chief of the Cherokees, he continued writing feverishly in the tribe’s defense. His passionate defiance of state and federal government actions led to his arrest by the Georgia Militia, where he was held in jail for 14 days. His study of the Cherokee Nation resulted in volumes of work, which remain an important resource for understanding the Native American tribe.

When President William Henry Harrison died shortly after taking office, Vice President John Tyler became president. Fortunately, Payne was acquainted with the Tyler family, which proved beneficial for a man in dire financial straits.

“Since I came to Washington it has cost me more diplomacy to conceal my poverty than would be necessary to conduct the foreign affairs of the government,” Payne wrote to John Tyler Jr.

Payne soon began a career in the government’s foreign affairs when he accepted the consul position in Tunisia in 1842. He worked tirelessly on the consul mansion, which was in complete disrepair. After Tyler’s presidency, Payne was replaced. When Millard Fillmore became president, Payne resumed his consul position. Before leaving for Tunisia, he had the pleasure of being serenaded by one of history’s greatest singers, Jenny Lind, known as the Swedish Nightingale. The famous soprano sang Payne’s “Home, Sweet Home” at the newly constructed National Hall in Washington on Dec. 17, 1850.

Payne returned to Tunis, but died shortly after on April 9, 1852. Thirty years later and due to the extensive efforts of William Corcoran, his body was interred back to America where he was buried at Washington’s Oak Hill Cemetery.

John Howard Payne's memorial stone in Oak Hill Cemetery in Washington. engineerchange/CC BY 2.0

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