In addition to these vocations , Taylor began a theatre career and became best known as a playwright , with up to 100 plays staged during his career . Many were adaptations of French plays , but these and his original works cover a range from farce to melodrama . Most fell into neglect after his death , but '' Our American Cousin '' ( 1858 ) , which achieved great success in the 19th century , remains famous as the piece that was being performed in the presence of US President Abraham Lincoln when he was assassinated in 1865
assassinated
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
Tom Taylor