Social Victorians/People/Frank Harris

Also Known As

• Family name:

Demographics

• Nationality: Irish, parents Welsh; naturalized American in 1921

Family

• Frank (James Thomas) Harris (14 February 1855 – 26 August 1931)
• Florence Ruth Adams (1852–1879)
• Emily Clayton ()
• Nellie O'Hara ()

Acquaintances, Friends and Enemies

Friends

• Oscar Wilde
• George Bernard Shaw
• H. G. Wells
• Max Beerbohm
• Aleister Crowley
• Eleanor Marx
• Edward Aveling
• Margot Asquith
• Herbert Henry Asquith
• George Meredith
• Walter Pater

Organizations

• University of Kansas, Law School
• The London Evening News, editor (1883–1886)
• The Fortnightly, editor (1886–1894)
• The Saturday Review, editor (1895-1898)
• Pearson's Magazine, U.S. edition, editor
• Grant Richards published a number of Harris's works.

Timeline

1869, late, Harris (at 13 years old) ran away to New York City.

1878 October 17, Harris and Florence Ruth Adams married in Paris.

1879 August(?), Florence Ruth Adams Harris died.

1882, Harris returned to England.

1886, as editor of the Evening News, Harris was responsible for very detailed reporting on the divorce case of Lady Colin Campbell.

1887 November 2, Frank Harris and Emily Clayton married.

1894, Emily Clayton Harris left him because he was unfaithful.

1895, Harris purchased the Saturday Review.

1914, Harris was jailed in Brixton Prison for contempt of court: Modern Society had published a gossipy, unflattering article about Lord Fitzwilliam (Earl Fitzwilliam in 1914?) whose divorce trial was coming up; Justice Horridge said "certain paragraphs [were] likely to prejudice the position of Lord Fitzwilliam in this divorce suit" ("Probate" 3, Col. 6a).

<blockquote>Mr. Justice Horridge committed Mr. Frank Harris, of Modern Society, for contempt of Court in publishing matter likely to prejudice the position of Lord Fitzwilliam, who is cited as a co-respondent in the pending divorce suit Leslie Melville v. Leslie Melville. Mr. Harris was removed from Court in custody of the tipstaff. — LESLIE MELVILLE V. LESLIE MELVILLE, PLATT, AND FITZWILLIAM. ("Law" 3, Col. 1a)</blockquote>

1914, summer, Harris returned to the U.S.

1921 April, Harris became an American citizen.

1922, Harris moved to Nice, France.

Questions and Notes

1. When Harris was editor of Fortnightly Review, he recruited Shaw and Max Beerbohm as theatre critics. When he was editor of the the Saturday Review (1895-1898), he recruited Shaw and H. G. Wells.

Bibliography

Harris's Works

• Harris, Frank. Mr. and Mrs. Daventry. 1900.
• Harris, Frank. Montes the Matador & Other Stories (collection of short stories). 1900.
• Harris, Frank. How to Beat the Boer, a Conversation in Hades (collection of short stories). 1900.
• Harris, Frank. The Bomb (first novel, reviewed by Aleister Crowley). 1908.
• Harris, Frank. The Man Shakespeare. 1909.
• Harris, Frank. Shakespeare and his Love. 1910.
• Harris, Frank. The Women of Shakespeare. 1911.
• Harris, Frank. Unpath'd Waters. 1913.
• Harris, Frank. Oscar Wilde: His Life and Impressions. 1916.
• Harris, Frank. Love in Youth. 1916.
• Harris, Frank. Miracle of the Stigmata (play). 1919.
• Harris, Frank. A Mad Love. 1920.
• Harris, Frank. My Life and Loves. 1923-27.
• Harris, Frank. Undream'd of Shores (collection of short stories). 1924.
• Harris, Frank. My Reminiscences as a Cowboy. 1930.
• Harris, Frank. Pantopia. 1930.
• Harris, Frank. [biography of Shaw]. 1931.

Secondary Works

• "Frank Harris." Encyclopedia Britannica Online (accessed September 1999).
• "Frank Harris." Spartacus Educational https://spartacus-educational.com/FWWharrisF.htm (accessed August 2020).
• "Frank Harris." Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Harris (accessed August 2020).
• "Law Report, Feb. 3: Summary of the Day's Cases." New York Times Wednesday 4 February 1914: 3, Col. 1a.
• "Probate, Divorce, and Admiralty Division. Contempt by a Newspaper: Comment on a Divorce Suit. Leslie Melville v. Leslie Melville, Platt, and Fitzwilliam." New York Times Wednesday 4 February 1914: 3, Col. 6a – 4, Col. 2c.