George Linnaeus Banks
George Linnaeus Banks was a British journalist, editor, poet, playwright, amateur actor, orator, and Methodist. His wife was the author Isabella Banks.
George was born in Birmingham, the son of a seedsman familiar with the plant nomenclature of Linnaeus.
Career
After a brief experience in a variety of trades, in his late teens George Banks became a contributor to various newspapers, and subsequently a playwright, being the author of plays, burlesques and lyrics. Between 1848 and 1864 he edited in succession a variety of newspapers, including the Birmingham Mercury and the Daily Express of Dublin.George Banks' plays included The Slave King, written for the black actor Ira Aldridge, and The Swiss Father; his popular songs included The Minstrel King, Warwickshire Will, and Dandy Jim of Caroline, based on a negro melody; and his poetry included Daisies in the Grass. Some of his more popular lines were frequently used by platform and pulpit orators, notably his lyrical What I Live For: