"H" is for Harby, Isaac [1788-1828]. Journalist, playwright, educator, religious reformer. After attending the College of Charleston and studying for the law, Harby opened a private school. Harby’s Academy provided him with an income while he attempted various literary pursuits. For several years he owned and edited a Charleston newspaper, the Southern Patriot and Commercial Advertiser. He later edited the Charleston City Gazette and was a frequent contributor to the Charleston Mercury. Harby wrote at least three plays and was a respected drama critic. He moved briefly to New York where he wrote for the New York Evening Post and the New York Mirror. Isaac Harby’s most lasting contribution to the state and nation came from his role in the establishment of the Reformed Society of Israelites in 1825—the first organized expression of Jewish religious reform in North America.