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[[File: JNHilliard.png|right|thumb|200px|[[ John Northern Hilliard]]]]


'''Nate Leipzig''' (1873-1939) was one of the early pioneers of performing simple straight forward magic with normal objects and passing on the use of fancy boxes and gadgetry. His work influenced people like [[Dai Vernon]], [[Roy Benson]], and [[John Scarne]]. He also created the [[Leipzig Pass]].
'''John Northern Hilliard''' (1872 - 1935) was a Rochester newspaper man  and clever amateur magician.


== Biography ==
== Biography ==
[[File: NateLeipzig.png|right|thumb|200px|[[Nate Leipzig]]]]
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.
In the late 1800's Nate Leipziger saw a magician at a child's party and wanted to learn more about magic. He learned his craft from books and had the belief that magicians were supposed to develop their own techniques. So rather than perform the effects he learned from magic books he developed his own methods. Because of this, Nate Leipzig was amazing both lay audiences as well as magicians. One of his early creations was the Coin Roll, where a coin rolls over the back of the fingers. Nate's original version however had the coin not only rolling over the backs of the fingers, but the hand would be turned over and the coin would continue to roll on the palm up fingers as well.


Around 1901 Nate left his job as an optician and went into a partnership with William and Felix Berol, who made rag pictures on a large easel. For a time he was known as "Nate Berol". This was not a magic act however and lasted for only two years. After this time, Nate got his own break into Vaudeville by filling in for magician [[Warren Keane]] at Proctors in New York. Audiences and agents were so impressed after his two days at Proctors that the famous agent William Morris arranged a tour for Nate to work the entire Keith Vaudeville Circuit.
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.


[[Nate Leipzig|Read more about Nate Leipzig...]]
[[John Northern Hilliard|Read more about John Northern Hilliard…]]

Latest revision as of 09:23, 20 February 2026

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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…