1001 People Who Made America - Alan Axelrod [88]
Mellon, Andrew W. (1855–1937) A financier—his fortune was built on steel—Mellon was appointed secretary of the Treasury by Warren G. Harding. He served under Harding, Calvin Coolidge, and Herbert Hoover, from 1921 to 1932, and reduced the national debt from $24 billion in 1920 to $17,604,000,000 by reforming taxation, generally reducing tax rates. The reductions stimulated the economy and were credited with the 1920s economic boom. Mellon fell from favor, however, after the onset of the Great Depression in 1929. As for Mellon’s philanthropy, it built the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
Melville, Herman (1819–1891) Melville went to sea as a young man and used his experiences as the basis for his first two novels, Typee (1846) and Omoo (1847), South Seas adventure tales that were popular successes. His next work, Mardi (1849), was far more experimental and failed to find a public. He returned to simpler, more popular fare with Redburn (1849) and White-Jacket (1850), then embarked upon his masterpiece, Moby-Dick (1851), an epic story woven around a sea captain’s obsessive quest for vengeance against the white whale—Moby-Dick—that had severed his leg. Filled with brilliant philosophical digression, the book is a mighty allegory of humanity’s relation to nature and, indeed, the universe itself. The book was a popular and critical failure, as was most of the rest of Melville’s literary output. Although he continued to write sporadically, he supported himself and his family as a custom’s inspector. His literary reputation came posthumously, with the rediscovery of his work in the late 1920s. Since then, he has come to be widely regarded as the greatest of all American novelists.
Mencken, H. L. (1880–1956) Henry Louis Mencken was a brilliant journalist and social critic, who—with great high spirits—lampooned organized religion, business, and especially the American middle class, which he dubbed the “boobocracy” or “booboisie.” Mencken made controversy fun. A penetrating literary critic, his influence on American literature—especially fiction—during the 1920s was profound. He was also a serious student of linguistics, and his massive study, The American Language (1919), is a monument of linguistics and also a delight to read.
Mercer, Hugh (1726–1777) Mercer was born in Scotland and fought at the bloody Battle of Culloden Moor (1746), then fled to America, where he practiced as a physician. Mercer fought in the French and Indian War and belonged to the same Masonic lodge as George Washington. The two became friends, and, at the outbreak of the American Revolution, Mercer first served in the militia and then in the Continental Army. He was Washington’s close comrade and distinguished himself particularly during the crossing of the Delaware and Battle of Trenton on December 26, 1776. His death at the Battle of Princeton, which followed the triumph at Trenton, made Mercer a martyr of the revolution and a symbol of heroic sacrifice for liberty.
Mercer, Johnny (1909–1976) Born John Herndon Mercer in Savannah, Johnny Mercer was a lyricist of great wit and charm, ranging from breezy to wistfully romantic. His most popular songs include “Lazy Bones,” “Jeepers Creepers,” “Blues in the Night,” “That Old Black Magic,” “Laura,” “Accent-tchu-ate the Positive,” “Autumn Leaves,” “Moon River,” and “Days of Wine and Roses.” An astute businessman, Mercer in 1942 cofounded Capitol Records and served as the company’s president and chief talent scout.
Michelson, A. A. (1852–1931) Born in Prussia, Michelson immigrated to the United States with his parents when he was two years old. He determined the speed of light with great accuracy and established it as a fundamental constant. His