Richard Potter (magician)

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Richard Potter
Born1782 or 1783
Hopkinton, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedSeptember 20, 1835 (1835-09-20T1783) (aged 52)
Andover, New Hampshire, U.S.
Occupation(s)Magician, hypnotist, ventriloquist
Years active1811–1835
Spouse
Sally Harris
​
(m. 1808)​
Children3

Richard Potter (c. 1783 – September 20, 1835)[a] was an American magician, hypnotist and ventriloquist. He was the first American-born magician to gain fame in his own country and is widely considered the first African-American celebrity.

Biography[edit]

Potter was born in Hopkinton, Massachusetts.[1]: II:277  Some sources state his father was Sir Charles Henry Frankland,[2] one of the Frankland baronets and a tax collector for the Port of Boston, and that his mother, Dinah,[b] was a black slave in the household.[4]: 63  However, Sir Charles died in England in 1768, over a decade before Potter's birth, and others sources indicate Potter's father was a clergyman named George Simpson.[5] Potter obscured most of his early life and encouraged speculation.[2] Evidently, he went to Hopkinton schools.

Potter became a well-known magician in the New England area from 1811 to his death. Various accounts differ on the reason, but agree that he went to Europe and joined John Rannie, a Scottish ventriloquist and magician. Rannie came to the United States in 1800. Potter toured with Rannie as one of his assistants in the Eastern United States. In 1811, Rannie retired to Scotland and encouraged Potter to continue on his own.[6] This is also the year that Potter became a Mason of African Lodge No. 459 and was part of founding the Prince Hall Masonry.[7]

Potter performed up and down the East Coast, going as far south as Alabama. One of Potter's notable run-ins with prejudice occurred in Mobile, Alabama, where he was turned away from a hotel because of his race. Despite this issue, Potter still made over $4,000 during that visit.[8][c]

In 1814, Potter purchased about 175 acres (71 ha) in the village of Andover, New Hampshire. He built a large house on his estate. Known for his showmanship in all aspects of life, the estate included two life-size wooden carvings of human figures on pillars.[9]

Potter married Sally Harris of Roxbury, Massachusetts,[2] in 1808. Potter claimed she was a Penobscot Native American.[10] They had three children.[1]: II:277  One son was killed in 1816, "run over by a load of corn",[1]: 318  and their daughter was believed to have lived only a short time.[1]: 426  Potter died on September 20, 1835,[1]: 294  and his wife the following year.[1]: 426  They are buried in a small graveyard on the property he bought in Andover. In the early 1840s, the graves were moved a short distance, due to railroad construction on the property.[2] The Potters were survived only by one child, a son also named Richard.[2]

Legacy[edit]

The section of Andover around his former estate is known as "Potter Place".[4]: 65  He inspired the character Samuel Peyton in the 1956 novel Peyton Place by Grace Metalious.[11] Both Richard Potter and Potter Place are featured on a New Hampshire historical marker (number 54)[12] erected in 1968.[13] From the late 1960s until at least 2018, a modern re-enactor based at Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts adopted Potter's persona and performed "an authentic rendition of Potter's repertoire" at various venues.[14][15][16][17]

In 2022, the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire installed and unveiled a historic marker to honor him and his work as America's first Black magician.[18]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Potter's gravestone states he died on September 30, 1835, aged 52—however, with regards to both Potter and his wife, "It is supposed that their ages were greater than given on the headstones."[1]: 426 
  2. ^ "Dinah" was an American generic name for a slave woman and, by extension, any woman of African-American descent.[3]
  3. ^ The claimed amount is viewed as unrealistic in some sources.[2]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Eastman, John R. (1910). History of the Town of Andover New Hampshire 1751-1906. Concord, New Hampshire: Rumford Press – via Internet Archive.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Joziati, Brenda (January 26, 1976). "Potter Place Sustains Memory of Black Who Was Noted Magician". Concord Monitor. Concord, New Hampshire. p. 17. Retrieved February 4, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  3. ^ ""Woman's Rights Convention", New York Herald, October 26, 1850 – NOTE 3". U.S. Women's History Workshop. Assumption College. Archived from the original on August 6, 2012. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
  4. ^ a b Milbourne, Christopher (1973). Illustrated History of Magic. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 0-690-43165-1.
  5. ^ Gates, Henry Louis Jr. (March 24, 2014). "Who Was the 1st Black Ventriloquist?". The Root. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
  6. ^ Haskins, James; Benson, Kathleen (2001). Conjure Times-Black Magicians in America. New York: Walker Publishing Company. ISBN 0-8027-8762-2.
  7. ^ "Bro. Richard Potter: “The Great Magician”, by Elliot Saxton, Freemasonary Website, March 2011
  8. ^ Price, David (1985). Magic: A pictorial History of Conjurers in the Theater. Cornwall Books. p. 52. ISBN 0-8453-4738-1.
  9. ^ "The little-known history of America's first black celebrity, Richard Potter". Salon. February 13, 2018. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
  10. ^ Haskins, James; Benson, Kathleen (2001). Conjure Times-Black Magicians in America. New York: Walker Publishing Company. ISBN 0-8027-8762-2.
  11. ^ Sammons, Mark; Cunningham, Valerie (2004). Black Portsmouth: Three Centuries of African-American Heritage. Durham, New Hampshire: University of New Hampshire press. pp. 108–09. ISBN 1-58465-289-6.
  12. ^ "List of Markers by Marker Number" (PDF). nh.gov. New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources. January 12, 2024. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  13. ^ "Marking history". Concord Monitor. Concord, New Hampshire. November 8, 1992. p. B4. Retrieved December 10, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Swatek, Randall (January 29, 1978). "Recapturing Magic of the Past". The New York Times. p. 97. Retrieved February 4, 2024 – via Times Machine.
  15. ^ "New England Calendar". Athol Daily News. Athol, Massachusetts. AP. December 30, 1983. p. 4. Retrieved February 4, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Richard Potter returns in a magical performance". The Recorder. Greenfield, Massachusetts. February 16, 1995. p. 25. Retrieved February 4, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  17. ^ Smith, Dan (April 21, 2018). "Upcoming Robert Olson historical performances". New England Magic Collectors Association. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  18. ^ "Black Heritage Trail dedicates marker to honor historic magician Richard Potter". WMUR. August 8, 2022. Retrieved February 29, 2024.

Further reading[edit]

  • Hodgson, John A. (2018). Richard Potter: America's First Black Celebrity. University of Virginia Press. ISBN 978-0813941042.
  • West, Mary Lyons (2019). The Enchanting Story of Richard Potter, America's First Famous Black American Magician and Ventriloquist. Independently Published. ISBN 978-1090127990.

External links[edit]

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