orig. James Ahearn
born Feb. 1, 1839, Troy, N.Y., U.S.
died June 2, 1901, New York, N.Y.
U.S. playwright.
He worked as a traveling actor before achieving success with his first play, Hearts of Oak (1879; written with David Belasco ). Margaret Fleming (1890) is considered his major achievement, though Shore Acres (1892) was his most popular play. He helped bridge the gap between 19th-century melodrama and the 20th-century drama of ideas.