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John Northern Hilliard (1872 - 1935) was a Rochester newspaper man and clever amateur magician.

Biography

Hilliard was dramatic critic with The Chicago Herald and later on the staff of The Rochester (N. Y.) Post Express. After moving to New York, he met Howard Thurston while a reporter on The New York World and became interested in magic. John was credited with securing the master magician with his first engagement on the stage. Several years later Thurston induced Hilliard to give up his newspaper work and become his personal representative.

With the urging of Floyd G. Thayer, John starting writing for Thayer's Magical Bulletin magazine. In 1925, Hilliard became an advance man for The Thurston show. During this time he accumulated notes on what he was learning about magic. In 1932, Carl Waring Jones urged him to turn his notes into a book, offering to publish it. But Hilliard suddenly died of a heart attack in 1935 while in a hotel room in Indianapolis.

Read more about John Northern Hilliard…

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+[[File: JNHilliard.png|right|thumb|200px|[[ John Northern Hilliard]]]]
-==African Americans in Magic History==
-===Pre-1860s===
-Prior to the end of the [[Civil War]], there were two African American magicians that garnered fame on the stage in the United States. The first was [[Richard Potter]], the free son of a British tax Collector named Charles Frankland and one of Frankland's slaves, a woman named Dinah. The second was an escaped slave named [[Henry Brown]]. Better known as “Box” Brown because he reached freedom by sealing himself in a packing crate and shipping himself North.[[File:PotterBdsde.jpg|thumb|right|Richard Potter broadside from the collection of Robert A. Olson]]
-===Post 1865===
+'''John Northern Hilliard''' (1872 - 1935) was a Rochester newspaper man  and clever amateur magician.
-The African American magician that seems to have been the first on the stage in the US after the war was Professor J.D. Kellies, known for not using apparatus during his performances. Newspaper accounts have records of his performances dating as far back as 1868.
-===1880s===
+== Biography ==
-The career of Black Carl, remembered as one of the finest magicians of his time, black or white, began his on stage career about 1883 as Boomski, the black assistant of [[Alexander Herrmann]]. Having most likely left Herrmann when he reached the age of 18, Carl, who real name was Edward Johnson went on to a long career, appearing mostly in minstrel shows and on black [[vaudeville]] circuits.
+Hilliard was dramatic critic with The Chicago Herald and later on the staff of The Rochester (N. Y.) Post Express. After moving to New York, he met [[Howard Thurston]] while a reporter on The New York World and became interested in magic. John was credited with securing the master magician with his first engagement on the stage. Several years later Thurston induced Hilliard to give up his newspaper work and become his personal representative.
-===1890s===
+With the urging of [[Floyd G. Thayer]], John starting writing for [[Thayer's Magical Bulletin]] magazine. In 1925, Hilliard became an advance man for The Thurston show. During this time he accumulated notes on what he was learning about magic. In 1932, Carl Waring Jones urged him to turn his notes into a book, offering to publish it. But Hilliard suddenly died of a heart attack in 1935 while in a hotel room in Indianapolis.
-Once again an individual remembered as one of this countries greatest magicians began his on stage career as Alexander Herrmann's Boomski. Louis Moore would stay with Hermann until around 1894 when he would become Theosis, assistant to Edward Maro. After leaving Maro, Moore began his own career performing under the name Alonzo Moore. In his career, Moore would work in minstrel shows, black vaudeville, under canvas and even present his own two hour evening show.
-[[African Americans in Magic History|Read more about African Americans in Magic History...]]
+[[John Northern Hilliard|Read more about John Northern Hilliard…]]

Magicpedia:Today's featured article: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 09:23, 20 February 2026

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