Henry B. Harris
| Henry B. Harris | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
Henry Birkhardt Harris December 1, 1866 St. Louis, Missouri |
| Died | April 15, 1912 (aged 45) North Atlantic, RMS Titanic |
| Occupation | theatrical producer |
| Years active | 1901-1912 |
| Spouse(s) | Renee Harris (born Irene Wallach) m.1898-1912 (his death) |
| Parent(s) |
William Harris, Sr. Rachel Freefield |
Henry B. Harris (December 1, 1866 – April 15, 1912); Henry Birkhardt Harris, born in St. Louis, was a Broadway producer and theatre owner who died in the sinking of the RMS Titanic. His wife was actress Renee Harris (born Irene Wallach) married 1898, who was injured in a fall on the Grand Staircase of the Titanic, but survived the sinking and lived until 1969. In 1925, Renee Harris co-produced the first play by Moss Hart, The Beloved Bandit, though it was not a success.
Harris was the son of William Harris Sr., a founder of the Theatrical Syndicate in the 1890s. He had a younger brother, William Harris Jr. Harris was born in St. Louis in 1866 and was a young boy when the family moved to Boston. He began his career selling song books in the theater lobby as a young man in St. Louis. When the family moved to Boston, young Harris began selling song books in the lobby of the Howard Athenaeum. He married Irene Wallach, a legal secretary with an interest in the theater, in October 1898.
Harris worked for his father in the theatrical business in Boston for a number of years before starting out on his own producing plays in 1901. He managed such stars as Amelia Bingham and Robert Edeson. In 1906, Harris became the owner of the Hackett Theatre The theater was later renamed the Harris Theatre, to honor William Harris Sr. He leased and managed the Hudson Theatre in New York and in 1911 built the Folies Bergère Theatre.
Harris perished along with over 1500 other souls in the Titanic's sinking, April 15, 1912. A survivor's eyewitness account suggests that Harris went to his death needlessly. Mrs. Emil Taussig and her husband, along with the Harrises, went to the deck as they felt the collision. After the women had been placed in a lifeboat, there was still room for other passengers. When Harris and Taussig attempted to enter the lifeboat, both men were threatened with revolvers. Mrs. Taussig said this boat was lowered with empty seats aboard it; she and her daughter were passengers on this lifeboat. She said when she last saw Henry Harris and her husband, both were standing side by side as they waved goodbye to their loved ones aboard the lifeboats.
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