1001 People Who Made America - Alan Axelrod [55]
Hauptmann, Bruno (1899–1936) Born in Germany, Hauptmann immigrated to the United States after World War I. He made his living as a carpenter and a burglar. In a sensational trial spanning January 2–February 13, 1935, he was convicted of kidnapping and murdering the 21-month-old son of American aviator hero Charles Lindbergh and his wife, Anne Morrow. Dubbed the “trial of the century,” the proceedings in a Flemington, New Jersey, courthouse received intense international media scrutiny, but the conviction of Hauptmann was plagued by controversy that remains unresolved to this day. Despite the doubts and qualms of many—including New Jersey governor Harold Hoffman—Hauptmann was executed on April 3, 1936, protesting his innocence to the last.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel (1804–1864) Born and raised in New England and steeped in its history and lore, Hawthorne produced some of the greatest fiction in American literature, including his masterpiece, The Scarlet Letter (1850). Hawthorne was fascinated by the large themes of guilt, conscience, and community, and by his own heritage of New England Puritanism, which included an ancestor who had been a judge during the infamous Salem witchcraft trials of the 17th century. Hawthorne wove these themes and fascinations into richly atmospheric explorations of the human character, creating situations that made extensive use of allegory and symbolism to probe what he considered the darkest secrets of the soul.
Hay, John (1838–1905) Hay served as private secretary to Abraham Lincoln throughout his presidency (1861–1865), then held various diplomatic posts under other Republican presidents. In 1897, President William McKinley appointed him ambassador to Great Britain, then, in 1898, secretary of state. He was active in negotiating an end to the Spanish–American War (1898) and guided the nation toward becoming a major imperialist power. He advocated what he called the Open Door policy, designed to regulate relations between the Western powers and China, providing trade access to all. In 1901–1903, Hay was instrumental in clearing the way for the building of the Panama Canal.
Hayes, Mary McCauley (1753/54–1832) The wife of an artilleryman during the American Revolution, Hayes accompanied her husband in action. During the Battle of Monmouth (June 28, 1778), she carried pitchers of water to cool the guns and slake the thirst of the men. For this, she was nicknamed “Molly Pitcher.” When she saw her husband fall wounded, she seized his ramrod and took his place at the gun. General Washington recognized her valor by issuing to her a warrant as a noncommissioned officer.
Hayes, Rutherford B. (1822–1893) In the election of 1876, Democrat Samuel J. Tilden outpolled Republican Hayes in the popular vote and looked as if he would win an electoral majority as well; however, Republicans contested the result—charging (among other things) that the black vote had been suppressed in the South—and the election was ultimately decided by Congress in a deal that gave Hayes the presidency in exchange for his pledge to bring an immediate end to Reconstruction (including military government) in the states of the former Confederacy. Hayes was installed in office, ended Reconstruction, and, to his credit, set about cleaning out the corruption of Ulysses S. Grant’s two terms. However, he was always afflicted by the stigma of the backroom deal and was universally mocked by the title, “His Fraudulency.”
Hayne, Robert Y. (1791–1839) While serving as senator from South Carolina, Hayne debated Daniel Webster in 1830 on