Author: Finn, Henry James William
Biography:
FINN, Henry James William (1787-1840: DAB)
He was born in Sydney NS and brought up in New York City. His parents were George Finn, a retired Royal Naval officer, and Elizabeth Finn. He is said to have attended Princeton, but did not graduate; he then studied law for two or three years in New York. On a visit to England, he joined a company of actors and played small parts in London in 1811-12, then returned to the US to act in New York, Philadelphia, and Savannah. On a second trip to England in 1821, he worked as a painter of miniatures as well as in the theatre. On his return, he chose Boston as a base, turned increasingly to the comic roles that made him famous, and added theatre management to his professional skills. By his marriage to Elizabeth Powell, he had twelve children. His most successful play was the melodrama Montgomery; or, The Falls of Montmorency (1825). He died in a fire on the steamboat that was taking him back to his home in Newport RI. (DAB; Appleton) HJ