William stanley houghton biography of martin
The national archives.
Dictionary of National Biography, 1927 supplement/Houghton, William Stanley
HOUGHTON, WILLIAM STANLEY (1881–1913), dramatist, the only son of John Hartley Houghton, a Manchester merchant, was born at Ashton-upon-Mersey, Cheshire, 22 February 1881.
William stanley houghton biography of martin
A random education ended in 1897 with a year at the Manchester grammar school; and Houghton went at once into his father's warehouse, knowing that for many years the dramatic ambition which he cherished would not provide him with a livelihood.
From 1897 to 1912 the selling of ‘grey cloth’ occupied him eight hours a day; what remained was devoted to literature and drama with a determination and confidence which Mr. Max Beerbohm's caricature distorts into Olympian conceit.
From 1900 play-making and acting were Houghton's absorbing hobby: in 1905–1906 he was unpaid dramatic critic for the Manchester City News; between August 1905 and April 1913 he contributed seventeen ‘back-page’ articles and more than a hundred theatrical noti