1001 People Who Made America - Alan Axelrod [53]
Hammerstein, Oscar (1847–1919) His memory overshadowed by the fame of his lyricist son, Hammerstein immigrated from Germany to the United States when he was a teenager and became a cigar maker. He also moonlighted as a theater manager and, in 1889, built his own theater, to which he brought the greatest actors and singers of the day. While he produced shows in all genres—including drama, comedy, vaudeville, and musical comedy—his greatest passion was grand opera, the production of which he revolutionized by introducing an unprecedented degree of genuine theatricality. By the end of his life he had built eleven theaters, ten of them in Manhattan.
Hammerstein, Oscar, II (1895–1960) Son of the major American opera impresario for whom he was named, Hammerstein studied law, but soon became an author and lyricist for the musical comedy stage, writing between 1920 and 1959 all or most of 45 musicals. His most notable collaborations were with composer Richard Rodgers, with whom he wrote (among others) Oklahoma! (1943), Carousel (1945), and South Pacific (1949), all landmarks in popular musical entertainment.
Hammon, Jupiter (circa 1720–circa 1800) Hammon was a slave on Long Island, New York, whose masters allowed him to attend school. Deeply religious, he wrote his first published poem, “An Evening Thought. Salvation by Christ with Penitential Cries,” on Christmas Day 1760. Printed early the next year, it was the first piece of literature published in the United States by an African American.
Hancock, John (1737–1793) A prosperous Boston merchant, Hancock was a major leader of the independence movement and the president of the first and second provincial congresses in 1774 and 1775. The first to sign the Declaration of Independence in 1776, he wrote his name large—large enough, he said, so that King George and his ministers could read it all the way from London.
Hardin, John Wesley (1853–1895) During 1868–1877, Hardin earned notoriety as an incorrigible Texas gunslinger, killing at least 21 men in duels and ambushes. Apprehended in Florida in 1877, he was convicted and sentenced to 25 years at hard labor. He was pardoned in 1894, but soon fell to thievery. On August 19, 1895, John Selman, a policeman and fellow thief, shot him in the back of the head as he drank at the bar of the Acme Saloon, El Paso. The shooting was motivated by a personal feud, but Selman was acquitted of murder.
Harding, Warren Gamaliel (1865–1923) A genial Ohio politician, Harding was chosen by a caucus of party insiders (legend has it, in a “smoke-filled room”) as the Republican presidential candidate in 1920. His promise of a “return to normalcy,” after the strenuous reforms of President Woodrow Wilson’s two terms and U.S. involvement in World War I, appealed to the American people, who sent him to the White House by a landslide. His administration was characterized by conservative isolationism, rampant corruption, and even sexual scandal (Harding had a mistress). The president died in California during a trip to Alaska in 1923. Many historians consider him the least competent president in U.S. history.
Harlan, John Marshall (1833–1911) Harlan served as an associate justice of the U. S. Supreme Court from 1877 until his death, earning a reputation as one of the high court’s great dissenters. He dissented most forcefully from the majority on issues of civil rights for African Americans, arguing that the equal rights of blacks were guaranteed by Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments. His opinions would not be vindicated until the mid 20th century, years after his death. His grandson, also named John Marshall Harlan (1899–1971), also served on the Supreme Court (1955–1971).
Harriman, W. Averell (1891–1986) President Franklin Roosevelt sent Harriman to Britain and the Soviet Union to manage U.S. aid to these allies during World War II. From 1943 to 1946, Harriman served as ambassador to the Soviet