Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 06.djvu/207

 KEENE

KEENER

KEENE, Thomas Wallace, actor, was born in New York city, Oc-t. 26, 1840; son of Cliarles and Agnes (Gamble) Eagleson. His father was employed on the staff of the Courier and En- quirer and died when his son, Tliomas R. Eagle- son, was a child. To aid in the support of the family Thomas secured an engage- ment as a supernu- merary at the Old Bowery theatre. N. Y. He made his first ap- pearance on the stage as an actor in 1863- 64, at Albany, N.Y., with James H. Hack- ett in King Henry IV., assuming the '^-Tv^ ' /T^/t/ stage name Thomas

yTY/P^Oi //. /leU€t^ Wallace Keene. He was married, Sept. 29, 1861. to Margaret A., daughter of James and Ann Creighton of New York city. He served as a volunteer in the civil war. 1861- 65, and after its close joined a stock com pan j' in Newark, N.J. He played juvenile parts with leading stars at Wood's theatre. New Y^ork city, in 1867. He joined the stock company of the National theatre, Cincinnati, Ohio, and travelled through the west taking the parts of Macbeth, Hamlet and Richard IH., 1869. He played burlesque and melodramatic parts at Wood's Museum, New Y^'ork city, 1870-74. Be- tween engagements at Wood's Museum in 1870 lie made his debut in London, England, in the leading role of " Across the Continent," and after a tour of the provinces he returned to Wood's ^luseum and appeared as Joe Morgan in " Ten Nights in a Bar-Room." He supported E. L. Davenport, Charlotte Cushman and Clara Morris, and in 1875 was leading man to John 3Ic- CuUough in California. In 1876 when Edwin Booth played an engagement there Keene alter- nated the roles of lago and Othello with Bootii, and Cassius, Brvitus and Mark Antonj' with Booth and McCullough, and played lago toMcCullough's Othello and Macduff to his Macbeth. He was sent east with a part of the California stock com- pany to play " Microscope" in Jules Verne's " A Trip to the Moon " in 1877 and in 1878 went to Ford's theatre, Baltimore, ^Id., and starred through the south in Sliaksperean plays. He was engaged by Engetie Tom])kins of the Boston theatre. Boston. Mass., 1879, and made a sensa- tion by liis acting of Couplan the drunkard in Zola's " Drink'' and also played the leading roles in a number of Shaks]ierean plaj's. He starred under the management of William R. Hayden for

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eight successive seasons (1880-88) in a repertory of Sliaksi)ere's plays. In style he was essentially melodramatic. A paralytic shock rendered him speechless in 1886, but electrical treatment en- abled him to resume his profession. His last ap- pearance was in the character of Richelieu at Hamilton, Ontario, May 23, 1898. He died at New Brighton, Staten Island, N.Y., Junel, 1898.

KEENER, John Christian, M.E. bisliop. was born in Baltimore, Md.. Feb. 7, 1819; son of Cinistian and IMary Clare (Brice) Keener; grand- son of Christian and Susanna (Swope) Keener and of John and Sarah (Lane; Brice, and a de- scendant of Melclior Keener, from Switz- erland, a merchant and shipper in Balti- more, and of Ben- edict Schwope, min- ister of the United Brethren in Ciirist. He was graduated from Wesleyan uni- versity, Connecticut, A.B., 1835. A.M., 18- 39, and engaged in the drug business in Baltimore, Md., 18- 35-41. He married Mary Anna, daughter of Richard and Anna (Baker) Spencer, He joined the Alabama conference of the M.E. church in 1842. and was stationed at Mobile, 1842; Demopolis, 1843-44; Tuscaloosa, 1845-46: IMont- gomery, 1847, and at New Orleans, La.. 1848-52. He was presiding elder of the New Orleans dis- trict, 1853-57; pastor of the Felicity Street M.E. church. New Orleans, 1858-59; presiding elder of New Orleans district, 1860; superintendent of chaplains of the Confederate army west of the Missi.ssippi river, 1861-64; editor of the New Or- leans Christian Advocate and presiding elder of the New Orleans district, 1865-70. He was elect- ed bisliop of the Methodist Episcopal church, south, in 1870, and founded a mission in Mexico in 1873. He retired from the office of bishop in 1898 on account of age. He received from La Grange college, Ala., the degree of D.D. in 1854, and from Southwestern university, Greensboro, Ala., tiiat of LL.D. in 1880. He edited sermons and lectures of the Rev. William Elbert:\Iunsey, D.D., and is the author of: The Pout Oak Circuit (1857); Stiidie!^ of Bible Truths (1899). and con- tributions to churcli prriodic'ils.

KEENER, John Ormond, educator, was born in New Orleans, La.. Aug. 17, 1854; son of Bishop John Christian and Mary Anna (Spencer) Keener, and grandson of Christian and Mary Clare (Brice) Keener and of Richard and Anna (Baker)