George Hogarth | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | George Hogarth (1783-09-06)6 September 1783 Carfraemill, nearLauder,Berwickshire, Scotland |
| Died | 12 February 1870(1870-02-12) (aged 86) London, England |
| Burial place | Kensal Green Cemetery |
| Alma mater | University of Edinburgh |
| Occupation(s) | Lawyer, newspaper editor, music critic, musicologist |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 10, includingCatherine andGeorgina |
| Relatives | James Ballantyne (brother-in-law) |
George HogarthWS (6 September 1783 – 12 February 1870) was a Scottish lawyer,newspaper editor,music critic, andmusicologist. He authored several books onopera and Victorian musical life in addition to contributing articles to various publications.
Born in Carfraemill nearLauder inBerwickshire, George Hogarth was the eldest son of Robert Hogarth, a farmer, and his wife, Mary Hogarth (née Scott).
Hogarth studied law and music at theUniversity of Edinburgh and became a violoncellist and a composer, and acted as joint secretary to the Edinburgh Music Festival. He practised law during the first two decades of the 19th century; counting among his clientsSir Walter Scott. On 30 May 1814, Hogarth married Georgina Thomson, the daughter of music publisher and editor George Thomson, their marriage producing 10 children.[1] In 1817, Hogarth, his brother-in-lawJames Ballantyne andWalter Scott bought the Edinburgh Weekly Journal. He lived then at 2 Nelson Street inEdinburgh's Second New Town.[2] He moved to 19 Albany street in the late 1820s.[3]
He first worked as a music critic forThe Harmonicon and theEdinburgh Courant magazine during the 1820s, continuing withThe Harmonicon in the early 1830s, after moving his family to London. In 1831, Hogarth was editor of a pro-Tory newspaper the Western Luminary, then in 1832 moved toHalifax becoming the first editor of the Halifax Guardian. In 1834, he became a music critic forThe Morning Chronicle newspaper in London, and in 1835 he becameeditor-in-chief ofThe Evening Chronicle, a post he held for twenty years.[4]
From 1846 to 1866 he worked as a music critic forThe Daily News, a paper that was founded by novelistCharles Dickens. Hogarth had previously met Dickens in 1834 while they were both working for theMorning Chronicle. In 1836, Dickens married Hogarth's eldest daughterCatherine. One of his younger daughters,Georgina, was Dickens' housekeeper, adviser, and, after Dickens' death, the editor ofThe Letters Of Charles Dickens from 1833 to 1870. From 1850 to 1864, Hogarth served as theRoyal Philharmonic Society's Secretary. During the last years of his life, he worked as an editor for theEvening Chronicle.
Hogarth died inLondon in 1870, at the age of 86. He is buried inKensal Green Cemetery.
