1001 People Who Made America - Alan Axelrod [98]
Owen, Robert Dale (1801–1877) The son of the English Utopian reformer and philosopher Robert Owen, Robert Dale Owen grew up in New Lanark, Scotland, his father’s model industrial/utopian community. In 1825, he immigrated to the United States with his father and was instrumental in founding New Harmony, Indiana, the nation’s most famous experiment in utopian living.
Owens, Jesse (1913–1980) Owens set a world record in the running broad jump that remained unbroken for a quarter century. An African American, he won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, each victory a stunning blow to Adolf Hitler’s contention of the superiority of the “Aryan race.”
Paine, Thomas (1737–1809) Born in England, Paine was apprenticed to his father, a corset maker, and also tried other occupations—all without success. On the recommendation of Benjamin Franklin (whom he met in London), Paine immigrated to America in 1774, became a writer in Philadelphia, and was prompted by the revolutionary physician Dr. Benjamin Rush to write a pamphlet in support of independence from England during the intense colonial debate on the subject. Paine’s Common Sense was published on January 10, 1776, and became a runaway bestseller, swinging the debate in favor of independence. Paine became an ardent revolutionary and, between 1776 and 1783, wrote the so-called “Crisis” papers, which were invaluable in keeping the Patriot cause alive during the war.
Paley, William S. (1901–1990) Vice president of his father’s cigar business, Paley discovered the power of radio advertising, became a major advertiser, and, in 1927, invested in the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), then a fledgling radio network. The following year, he became president of CBS and, over the next half century, directed its growth into a mass media powerhouse. Paley is regarded as one of the fathers of American radio and television broadcasting.
Palmer, A. Mitchell (1872–1936) As U.S. attorney general, Palmer, on January 2, 1920, sent federal agents to round up suspected Communist sympathizers in massive raids carried out simultaneously in 33 cities. Six thousand persons, including American citizens and recent immigrants, were arrested. Palmer’s raids created the nation’s first “Red Scare,” or anti Communist witch hunt. Although 556 of those arrested were deported, most convictions arising from the raids were overturned and Palmer was ultimately discredited. His young protégé, J. Edgar Hoover, not only escaped censure, but went on to lead the agency that became the FBI.
Parker, Bonnie, and Clyde Barrow (1910–1934; 1909–1934) Barrow was a career criminal when he met Bonnie Parker in January 1930. After serving a 20-month prison term, he teamed up with her and embarked on a nearly two-year bank robbery spree in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Missouri that commanded sensational national attention. Portrayed as a romantic heroine and hero, who robbed the banks that foreclosed on many hard-working people ruined by the Great Depression, “Bonnie and Clyde” were, in fact, murderers, who killed three police officers. They themselves were gunned down at a roadblock in Gibsland, Louisiana, on May 23, 1934. Their violent deaths together added to their popular legend, and they became the subject of books and a notable 1967 film by director Arthur Penn.
Parker, Charlie “Bird” (1920–1955) Charles Parker, Jr.—called Charlie Parker or,