His paternal great-grandfather was killed in the Tory army at the Battle of Bunker Hill and his grandfather, Thomas Metcalfe, was "taken by his mother to Virginia, where later he freed his Virginia-born slaves and trekked to Central New York".[1]
In 1883 and 1884, Metcalfe was the editor and publisher of The Modern Age and from 1885 to 1886, he was an editorial writer for The Buffalo Express. Afterwards, he was the editor of The People's Pictorial Express for one year and then the manager of the American Newspaper Publishers Association for three years. In 1889, he became the drama critic for Life, the popular weekly magazine published in New York. From 1890 to 1895, he was also the literary editor of Life and for one year, 1919, art editor. He served as the magazine's drama critic for thirty-one years until 1920, writing reviews of plays.[2] While at Life, he was known for his sharp wit and libel lawsuits from those he criticized.[3] After Life, he wrote for Judge magazine, serving as the art and dramatic editor for two years before becoming the dramatic editor of The Wall Street Journal in 1923.[2]
Metcalfe also authored several books including Mythology for Moderns (1900), The American Slave (1900), Another Three Weeks (1908), The Diary of a District Messenger (1909) and Jane Street (1921).[2] In 1903, he ran, unsuccessfully, as a Democratic candidate for the 19th District in the New York State Assembly in 1903.[4]
In 1915, he established the Metcalfe Prize at Yale for the best essay written on the theatre.[5][6] In 1919, was made a Knight of the FrenchLegion of Honour for his work on behalf of French war orphans.[7]
Personal life
Metcalfe was twice married. His first marriage was in 1896 to Edith Williams (1865–1902), a daughter of Homer M. Williams of Batavia, New York.[8] After her death in 1902, he married actress Elizabeth Tyree (1864–1952)[9] at the Marble Collegiate Church in 1904.[10] Elizabeth was "from an old Virginia family and went on stage after several season in Washington society."[2]