He went on to partner two other renowned cloggers, Dublin-born Tim Hayes and fellow Yorkshireman Dick Sands, in the leading minstrel and variety theaters.
He co-managed Wagner and Hague's Pontoon Minstrels, touring the western states, then briefly retired from show business in 1866, opening the Champion Shades bar with his brother Tom opposite the Mechanics Hall theater in Utica, New York.
Hague's troupe, which included variety star Japanese Tommie, debuted at the Theatre Royal, Liverpool.
The troupe was initially a failure in both Liverpool and on tour, but business picked up when Hague added white singers and instrumentalists, retaining only a few "colored" specialty performers.
The British had a reputation in America for not being as apt at portraying caricatured black roles or performing comedy bits.