James A. Herne James Ahearn Born ( 1839-02-01 ) February 1, 1839 Cohoes, New York Died June 2, 1901 (1901-06-02) (aged 62) Manhattan, New York City Children Chrystal Herne James A. Herne (born James Ahearn , February 1, 1839 – June 2, 1901) was an American playwright and actor. [1] He is considered by some critics to be the "American Ibsen", and his controversial play Margaret Fleming is often credited with having begun modern drama in America. Herne was a Georgist and wrote Shore Acres to promote the political economy of Henry George. [2] Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Stage actor 1.2 Playwright 2 Death 3 Footnotes 4 Works 5 Further reading 6 External links Biography Stage actor James Ahearn was born February 1, 1839, in Cohoes, New York. [1] His parents were poor Irish immigrants who removed him from school at age thirteen to work in a brush factory. Herne decided to become an actor the next year but ...