John Drew (September 3, 1827 – May 21, 1862) was an

Irish-American Irish Americans () are Irish ethnics who live within in the United States, whether immigrants from Ireland or Americans with full or partial Irish ancestry. Irish immigration to the United States From the 17th century to the mid-19th c ...

stage actor and theatre manager.

Early life

Born Jonathan Henry Drewland in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, (then in the former

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(1801-1922) to father Thomas L. Drewland and wife / mother Louise Kanten, he was the fifth of their six children. In 1832, he journeyed and crossed the

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, emigrated to the

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with his family to

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

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. As a child, he spent most of his life living in Boston. This is where he began acting. A younger brother, Frank Drew (1831–1903), also came from Ireland to America, becoming an actor also.

Career

After moving to the United States, Drew got a job in Joseph J. Johlen's theatrical company. He appeared in a number of Johlen's plays, including ''Uncle Mutch'', ''The Barber Man'', ''Canterbury of Livingston'' and ''The Progrist''. Drew made his first New York appearance in 1846. He played Irish and light comedy parts with success in many American cities, and was the co-manager of the famous Arch Street Theatre in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

after 1860 with his actress / wife Louisa Lane Drew (1820-1897), who also assisted in the theatre management along with the nearby Walnut Street Theatre, continuing as manager alone and occasional acting roles after his 1862 death for another three decades to 1892.

Personal life

John married Louisa Lane in 1848 this being her third marriage and his first. They had subsequently three children: Louisa (1852–1888), John Jr. (1853–1927), and Georgiana (1856–1893). Drew died at his home in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

on May 21, 1862, at the early age of 34, after tripping, falling and fatally hitting his head during a party for then 6-year old daughter Georgiana. He was buried in nearby Glenwood Cemetery (now Glenwood Memorial Gardens), in Philadelphia, which was later closed, and his remains were then moved to nearby Mount Vernon Cemetery in Philadelphia. After his death, his wife Louisa Lane Drew took over the management of the Arch Street Theatre for the next three decades up to 1892. The Arch Street venue survived as the second oldest theatre in America until 1936 when it was unfortunately demolished after 108 years.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Drew, John 1827 births 1862 deaths 19th-century American male actors John Drew (actor) Burials at Glenwood Cemetery/Glenwood Memorial Gardens Burials at Mount Vernon Cemetery (Philadelphia) Irish emigrants to the United States Irish male stage actors Male actors from Philadelphia 19th-century American theatre managers Male actors from Boston Male actors from County Dublin