Harry Vokes

Vokes was born Harry Laughlin in Quincy, Illinois. His father, Thomas B. Laughlin, was a postal inspector.{{cite news |title=Harry Vokes Is Killed In An Explosion |newspaper=The Quincy Daily Journal |date=April 16, 1922}} Vokes learned acrobatics from John Ahern, a performer for the W. W. Cole Circus who later served as Quincy's police chief.

In 1886, Ahern received a contract to perform with the John B. Doris Circus and took Vokes with him. Soon thereafter, Vokes and Hap Ward began performing a tumbling act in music hall variety shows. They were discovered by an agent for Tony Pastor and began performing at his 14th Street Theatre. There, they launched their Harold and Percy sketch, which featured two ragged tramp characters delivering upper-class dialogue. They later changed the characters from tramps to a pair of wealthy loafers. The pair then transitioned to musical comedies, starring in A Run on the Bank (1895), The Governors (1898), The Floor Walkers (1900), The Head Waiters (1901), and A Pair of Pinks (1905). They performed with Margaret and Lucy Daly, who were the sisters of comedian Dan Daly. Vokes married Margaret Daly and Ward married Lucy Daly and the couples resided next to each other on Crescent Beach.

In 1905, the pair separated after Vokes decided to hire a new manager, James F. Lee, while Ward stayed with E. F. Stair. Vokes continued A Pair of Pinks with Will West in Ward's place and Ward starred in a new play, The Grafters, with his wife.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe-ward-and-vokes-separate/165959083/ |title=Ward And Vokes Separate |newspaper=The Boston Globe |page=11 |date=June 2, 1905 |access-date=2025-02-17 |via=Newspapers.com}} Vokes later returned to vaudeville, performing sketches alongside his wife.

In 1908, Ward and Vokes reunited with a new play, The Promoters.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe-ward-and-vokes-reunited/165961153/ |title=Ward and Vokes Reunited |newspaper=The Boston Globe |date=July 24, 1908 |access-date=2025-02-17 |via=Newspapers.com}} Margaret Daly Vokes was slated to join the cast, but a year-long illness rendered her unable to perform. She died on August 27, 1908 at Ward's home in Lynnfield, Massachusetts while Vokes, Ward, and her sister Lucy were performing in Worcester, Massachusetts.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe-obituary-for-margaret-d/60634092/ |title=Popular Actress Dead at Lynnfield |newspaper=The Boston Globe |pages=1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe-margaret-emma-daly-voke/60633644/ 3] |date=August 28, 1908 |access-date=2025-02-17 |via=Newspapers.com}} In 1911, Ward and Vokes debuted their final play together, The Trouble Makers.{{cite book |last1=Fisher |first1=James |title=Historical Dictionary of Vaudeville |date=2023 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |pages=602-603 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y_XDEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA602&dq |access-date=1 February 2025}} In 1913, Vokes married Marie Francis, an actress from the Ward and Vokes company, in Grand Rapids, Michigan.{{cite magazine |title=Harry Vokes Reported Wed |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_variety_1913-04-18_30_7/page/10/mode/2up?q |access-date=1 February 2025 |magazine=Variety |date=April 18, 1913 |via=Internet Archive}}

In 1915, Vokes starred in two motion pictures for Gaumont – The House Party and Beauty in Distress.{{cite magazine |title=Reviews of Current Productions |url=https://archive.org/details/movpicwor26chal/page/n289/mode/2up |access-date=1 February 2025 |magazine=The Moving Picture World |date=December 11, 1915 |via=Internet Archive}}{{cite news |title=Harry Vokes on the Screen |url=https://archive.org/details/Film-Fun-1916-01-No-322/page/n27/mode/2up?q |access-date=1 February 2025 |work=Film Fun |date=January 1916 |via=Internet Archive}}

Volkes retired from performing in 1918 and worked as a pump tender at the Beacon Oil Company refinery in Everett, Massachusetts. On April 14, 1922, Vokes and four others were injured by an explosion in the plant's compressor building.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe-harry-r-laughlin-explos/60639760/ |title=Five Hurt in Everett Explosion |newspaper=The Boston Globe |page=18 |date=April 15, 1922 |access-date=2025-02-17 |via=Newspapers.com}} He died from his injuries the following day.{{cite news |title=Harry Vokes, Veteran Vaudeville Comed, Dies |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r7MgAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA4 |access-date=2025-02-17 |newspaper=The Lewiston Daily Sun |place=Boston |page=4 |date=1922-04-16 |publication-date=April 17, 1922 |via=Google Books}}{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-new-york-times-harry-vokes-dead/165959609/ |title=Harry Vokes Dead |newspaper=The New York Times |place=Boston |page=20 |date=1922-04-15 |publication-date=April 16, 1922 |access-date=2025-02-17 |via=Newspapers.com}} Vokes was survived by his second wife and their two children. He was buried in Holy Cross Cemetery in Malden, Massachusetts.{{cite news |title=Funeral of Harry Vokes In Everett This Morning |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe-obituary-for-harry-voke/60640264/ |access-date=2025-02-17 |newspaper=The Boston Globe |place=Everett, Massachusetts |page=7 |date=April 17, 1922}}

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Category:1866 births

Category:1922 deaths

Category:Actors from Quincy, Illinois

Category:American circus performers

Category:American vaudeville performers

Category:Burials at Holy Cross Cemetery (Malden, Massachusetts)

Category:Deaths from explosion