Matthew James Higgins
Encyclopedia
Matthew James Higgins was a British
writer who used the nom-de-plume Jacob Omnium, which was the title of his first magazine article. He was born in County Meath
, Ireland to a landed family. He owned an estate in British Guiana
, which he visited twice.
Higgins became well known for his aggressive, campaigning journalism. His first essay was a satire on dishonest business practices, entitled "Jacob Omnium, the Merchant Prince". It was published in New Monthly Magazine in 1845. Though the name was that of the villain, he adopted it as his main pen-name. Nevertheless he also used other names such as "Civilian", "Paterfamilias", "West Londoner", "Belgravian Mother", "Mother of Six" and "John Barleycorn".
He was particularly active on behalf of sufferers from the Irish potato famine in 1847, demanding more decisive action. His The real bearings of the West India question (1847) advocated support for West Indian plantation owners who, he argued, could not compete against slave-owning countries which bore no wage costs.
He contributed regularly to the Peelite
newspaper The Morning Chronicle and also to The Times
, the Pall Mall Gazette
and the Cornhill Magazine
(under Thackeray
's editorship). His letters in The Times were instrumental in exposing many abuses. Like his friend Thackerary, he was active in gentlemen's social clubs, being a member of many London clubs and societies, including the Philobiblon Society and the Cosmopolitan Club
. He was married to Emily Joseph, daughter of Sir Henry Joseph.
Thackeray dedicated to him his novel The Adventures of Philip
, and one of his ballads, Jacob Omnium's Hoss, deals with an incident in Higgins's career.
Some of his articles were published in 1875 as Essays on Social Subjects.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
writer who used the nom-de-plume Jacob Omnium, which was the title of his first magazine article. He was born in County Meath
County Meath
County Meath is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Mide . Meath County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland to a landed family. He owned an estate in British Guiana
British Guiana
British Guiana was the name of the British colony on the northern coast of South America, now the independent nation of Guyana.The area was originally settled by the Dutch at the start of the 17th century as the colonies of Essequibo, Demerara, and Berbice...
, which he visited twice.
Higgins became well known for his aggressive, campaigning journalism. His first essay was a satire on dishonest business practices, entitled "Jacob Omnium, the Merchant Prince". It was published in New Monthly Magazine in 1845. Though the name was that of the villain, he adopted it as his main pen-name. Nevertheless he also used other names such as "Civilian", "Paterfamilias", "West Londoner", "Belgravian Mother", "Mother of Six" and "John Barleycorn".
He was particularly active on behalf of sufferers from the Irish potato famine in 1847, demanding more decisive action. His The real bearings of the West India question (1847) advocated support for West Indian plantation owners who, he argued, could not compete against slave-owning countries which bore no wage costs.
He contributed regularly to the Peelite
Robert Peel
Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet was a British Conservative statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 10 December 1834 to 8 April 1835, and again from 30 August 1841 to 29 June 1846...
newspaper The Morning Chronicle and also to The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, the Pall Mall Gazette
Pall Mall Gazette
The Pall Mall Gazette was an evening newspaper founded in London on 7 February 1865 by George Murray Smith; its first editor was Frederick Greenwood...
and the Cornhill Magazine
Cornhill Magazine
The Cornhill Magazine was a Victorian magazine and literary journal named after Cornhill Street in London.Cornhill was founded by George Murray Smith in 1860 and was published until 1975. It was a literary journal with a selection of articles on diverse subjects and serialisations of new novels...
(under Thackeray
William Makepeace Thackeray
William Makepeace Thackeray was an English novelist of the 19th century. He was famous for his satirical works, particularly Vanity Fair, a panoramic portrait of English society.-Biography:...
's editorship). His letters in The Times were instrumental in exposing many abuses. Like his friend Thackerary, he was active in gentlemen's social clubs, being a member of many London clubs and societies, including the Philobiblon Society and the Cosmopolitan Club
Cosmopolitan Club (London)
The Cosmopolitan Club in London, England, was a club which existed from 1852 to 1902. It met in rooms in Berkeley Square which had previously been the studio of George Frederic Watts and then of Henry Wyndham Phillips. The meeting room was dominated by a large painting by Watts of a naked damsel in...
. He was married to Emily Joseph, daughter of Sir Henry Joseph.
Thackeray dedicated to him his novel The Adventures of Philip
The Adventures of Philip
The Adventures of Philip on his Way Through the World: Shewing Who Robbed Him, Who Helped Him, and Who Passed Him By is a novel by William Makepeace Thackeray...
, and one of his ballads, Jacob Omnium's Hoss, deals with an incident in Higgins's career.
Some of his articles were published in 1875 as Essays on Social Subjects.