Born in the
Kentish Town area of London as
Francis Platt, he was illegitimate and grew up in poverty. He later claimed that his father was a German refugee from the
revolutions of 1848, although his biological father was asserted by Florence Boos to have been John Lewis, an English watchmaker. He supported the ideals of the
French Revolution in his youth, and attended radical meetings, such as those of the
Reform League, participating in the Hyde Park riot of 1867. Platt completed an
apprenticeship as a dyer, and travelled extensively looking for work. He was particularly impressed by the poverty he saw in the industrial cities of northern England. Around 1874, he took the surname "Kitz", and settled in
Soho. In 1879, he set up a printing shop on Boundary Street in
Shoreditch, and began putting out propaganda, particularly focusing on supporting rent strikes. In the new organisation, he became associated with
William Morris, working with him politically, while also sometimes working for him, using his skills in dyeing. Along with most other former members of the LEL, he joined Morris'
Socialist League split in 1885. Kitz worked with Lane to develop a radical leftist grouping in the new party, and in 1888 they achieved a majority, Kitz becoming the league's secretary. In the league's 1890 elections, Kitz was selected to replace Morris as editor of
Commonweal, its journal. Morris then left the league, although Kitz retained a favourable opinion of him. Many other posts were won by anarchists supportive of violence, such as
Charles Mowbray. Kitz disagreed with this, As a result of this activity, he lost his job, and found himself again in poverty. In his last years, he survived from the
old age pension, while
Freedom organised two financial appeals for him. He died on 8 January 1923 at
St James' Infirmary in
Balham, London. ==References==