Payne, John Howard (1791-1852), was the first American playwright to achieve international fame. However, he is best known for writing the words of the song “Home, Sweet Home.” This song first appeared in his play Clari, or the Maid of Milan (1823).
Payne was born on June 9, 1791, in New York City. His first play, Julia, the Wanderer (1806), was performed there when he was only 14 years old. At 17, Payne made his debut as an actor. He went to London in 1813 and lived there and in Paris until 1832. In London, Payne tried to establish himself as an actor but failed. He soon turned to playwriting.
Many of Payne’s plays were unsuccessful, and he spent most of his life in debt. But he did achieve some popularity with his tragedy Brutus, or the Fall of Tarquin (1818) and other dramas. In 1823, while in London, Payne worked with the American writer Washington Irving on Charles the Second, or The Merry Monarch and several other productions.
Payne returned to the United States in 1832 and later became interested in the problems of Indigenous (native) Americans. In 1835, he met with leaders of the Cherokee and published two letters in the Knoxville (Tennessee) Register. In the letters, he tried to persuade Congress to let the Cherokee continue living in the Southeast. His efforts failed. Payne served as United States consul in Tunisia from 1842 to 1845 and from 1851 until his death. He died on April 9, 1852.
