Kate Claxton
| Kate Claxton | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
August 24, 1848 Somerville, New Jersey |
| Died |
May 5, 1924 (aged 75) New York City, New York |
| Resting place |
Green-wood Cemetery Brooklyn, New York |
| Occupation | Stage actress, screenwriter |
| Spouse(s) |
Isidore Lyon Charles A. Stevenson |
Kate Claxton (August 24, 1848 – May 5, 1924)[1] was an American actress, born Kate Elizabeth Cone at Somerville, New Jersey, to Spencer Wallace Cone and Josephine Martinez.[2] She made her first appearance on the stage in Chicago with Lotta Crabtree in 1870, and in the same year joined Augustin Daly's Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York. In 1872 she became a member of A. M. Palmer's Union Square Theatre, playing largely comedy roles. She created the part of Louise in The Two Orphans and then became known as one of the best emotional actresses of her time. Her first starring tour was in 1876. In 1878 she was married to Charles A. Stevenson.
She was performing the play The Two Orphans at the Brooklyn Theatre (Brooklyn, New York), on the night of December 5, 1876 when fire broke out eventually killing 278 persons. It was, and still remains, one of the greatest fires in New York City history (see Brooklyn Theater Fire).
Claxton married twice, first in 1865 to Isadore Lyon; they later divorced. On March 3, 1878, she married Charles A. Stevenson, and in 1911 they divorced. Her son Harold Stevenson committed suicide in 1904.[3]
Claxton died due to a cerebral hemorrhage in her apartment in New York City, and was buried in Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery.[2]
Claxton, Georgia, is said by some local historians to be named for her.[4] [5]
Notes
- ↑ Ryan, p. 345
- 1 2 James, Edward T.; James, Janet Wilson; Boyer, Paul S. "Notable American women, 1607-1950: a biographical dictionary", p. 345, Harvard University Press, 1971. ISBN 0-674-62734-2. Accessed June 28, 2009.
- ↑ FAMOUS ACTORS AND ACTRESSES OF THE AMERICAN STAGE Vol.1 A-J by William C. Young c. 1975
- ↑ City of Claxton, State of Georgia. Accessed June 28, 2009.
- ↑ Claxton Enterprise Accessed May 23, 2013.
References
- Ryan, Pat M. "Claxton, Kate" Notable American Women. Vol. 1, 4th ed., The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1975
External links
- Kate Claxton at the Internet Broadway Database
- Kate Claxton at the Internet Movie Database
- Kate photo
- Kate Claxton at find A grave
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Gilman, D. C.; Thurston, H. T.; Colby, F. M., eds. (1905). "article name needed". New International Encyclopedia (1st ed.). New York: Dodd, Mead.