Henderson was born in Brooklyn in 1850.^[2][1] He was the son of Margaret (née Johnston) and Isaac Henderson (1814–1884), co-owner of the New York Evening Post with William Cullen Bryant and John Bigelow.^[3][2] His father's career at the Post ended in 1878 when an investigation revealed he had defrauded Bryant for thirty years.^[4] During Abraham Lincoln's presidency in 1861, his father was appointed Navy Agent, "thereby becoming both a civilian employee of the Navy Department and a disbursing officer of the government subject to Treasury Department supervision."^[4] In 1864, his father was arrested and tried for issuing false vouchers when he was Navy Agent.^[5] After a well-publicized trial, he was found not guilty on technical grounds.^[4][6]

Henderson's early education was at a Quaker academy in Rhode Island and under tutors.^[2][7] He attended Williams College, graduating with a bachelor's degree, Master of Arts, and Doctor of Civil Law.^[2] While there, he was a member of the Fraternity of Delta Psi (St. Anthony Hall).^[8]

Newspaperman edit

In 1872, Henderson started working for the New York Evening Post, becoming assistant publisher in 1875.^[2][1] In 1877 he was a publisher, stockholder, and member of the board of trustees.^[2][1] Henderson sold his interest in the Evening Post in 1881.^[2] In January 1882, Henderson and former post employee Watson R. Sperry started a morning newspaper in Wilmington, Delaware called the Morning Herald.^[9] Sperry had married Henderson's sister.^[10]

Novelist and dramatist edit

In 1886, Henderson published his first novel, The Prelate which was successful story about American ex-patriates in Rome.^[2][1] Its cover was designed by Elihu Vedder.^[11] The Brooklyn Union called it "an uncommonly clever book."^[12] The Boston Traveler raved, "One of the most brilliant and fascinating romances that has been published in many a day."^[12]

In 1888, he published another novel set in Italy, Agatha Page: A Parable.^[13] Its cover was a painting by English artist Felix Moscheles, who was inspired to create a painting after hearing Henderson's summary of the novel in progress.^[14] The Boston Gazette noted, "The book is admirably written, and its heroine, an exceptionally attractive character, is drawn with great skill and force."^[13] The Chicago Times wrote, "She is a creature of such perfect individuality, such strength of character and beauty of soul, that her creation must attain importance in American fiction."^[15] By 1889, Agatha Page was in its fifth edition.^[13]

In 1892, Sir Charles Wyndham produced Agatha Page as the play The Silent Battle at the Criterion Theatre in London, England.^[2][1] The Boston Museum also dramatized the named as Agatha in 1892.^[2][1]

His next drama was The Mummy and the Humming Bird which was presented at Wyndham's Theatre in 1901.^[2][1] In 1902, the play was performed at the Empire Theatre in New York City.^[2][1] On November 11, 1915, the silent film version of The Mummy and the Humming Bird was released by Famous Players Film Company/Charles Frohman Co., with distribution by Paramount Pictures Corp.^[16]

Despite his successful books and plays, Henderson was not a prolific author. The Washington Herald noted, "If he had been a poor man, Mr. Henderson would doubtless have been a prolific writer, but his modest fortune was abundant for his needs, and he wrote but little."^[14]

• Agatha Page: A Parable. Boston: Ticknor and Company, 1888.^[17]
• The Prelate: A Novel. Boston: Ticknor and Company, 1886.^[18]
• The Mummy and the Humming Bird. New York: Z and L. Rosenfield, 1902^[19]
• Out Yonder: A Play in Four Acts, 1909.^[20]

Henderson married Marion Temple Brown on February 13, 1880, at the Madison Square Presbyterian Church.^[21][14] She was the daughter of Walter Brown of New York City.^[21] Like Henderson, she was musically inclined.^[14] They were the parents of two daughters, including Ruth Henderson (d. 1933), who married Hon. Walter Patrick Lindsay (1873–1936), third son of James Lindsay, 26th Earl of Crawford.^{[22][23][14][7]}

in 1881, he went to Europe and lived in London.^[2] By 1882, he moved to Rome, Italy where he spent his time writing and studying music.^[11] In 1888, he had moved back to London, living South Kensington in an exclusive neighborhood, The Boltons.^[24][14]

In 1895, Marion became a Roman Catholic at the hands of Pope Leo XIII.^[7] In 1896, Henderson converted to Catholicism, taking the name of Austin at his Confirmation.^[2] In 1903 he held the post of honor, private chamberlain to Pope Pius X.^[2]

He was a member of the Mendelssohn Glee Club, Union League Club, and the University Club of New York.^[2] He promoted The New York Evening Post's Fresh Air Fund for Children.^[2] He also donated a playroom and playground for the children of the Trastevere quarter in Rome.^[2]

Henderson died in Rome on March 31, 1909.^[1][25]

• Works by or about Isaac Henderson at Internet Archive