Historic Figures
WITH THE NAME JOHN
John Wayne was the iconic and hugely successful American movie star born in Iowa with the unfortunate moniker of Marion Morrison. Called “Duke†(happily) from a young age, the man whom the studios dubbed John Wayne came to movies by way of odd jobs and bit parts. It took the genius of director John Ford to insist on his being cast in 1939’s Stagecoach to send John Wayne to superstardom via almost 150 movies, most of them Westerns. Among his most popular movies were Rio Bravo, The Quiet Man, The Searchers, and True Grit, for which he won an Academy Award. John Wayne was known in later years as much for his conservative politics as for his movies, as he boosted Republican causes, championed the war in Vietnam and bemoaned the state of contemporary American youth. As much as he stood for a militant aggressiveness, he never joined the armed services, although he tried. Deferred because of his age and family status, he was also the object his studio’s efforts to keep him on the lot cranking out pictures. Nonetheless, he epitomized the fighting patriotic American to the day of his death. Married three times, John Wayne fathered seven children and died of stomach cancer, after having beaten lung cancer some years earlier. He remains one of the best known and most popular figures of American culture to this day, and even has an airport named after him. Not bad for a boy named Sue, er, Marion.
John Lennon was one of the most famous and celebrated singer-songwriters, arguably of all time, who made musical history as part of the Beatles, as well as in a soloist role and in collaboration with his second wife, Yoko Ono. Born in Liverpool, England, John and the other “Quarrymen†evolved into the Beatles in the 1960s and rose to immeasurable fame, wealth and notoriety. John was always known as “the intellectual one†in the quartet, and both amused and scandalized the public with his irreverent remarks, his brush with Eastern religions, his political activism and his drug use. Lennon had two sons, Julian by his first wife, Cynthia Powell, and Sean by his second wife, Yoko Ono. He was gunned down by Mark David Chapman outside his apartment building in New York on December 8, 1980.
Casey Jones is arguably the most famous railroad engineer in American history. He was made famous by an epic folksong called “The Ballad of Casey Jones†(written in tribute by a black engine wiper who had been a devoted friend to Jones). Casey Jones actually received his nickname from the town from which he hailed, Cayce, Kentucky. He was a loveable, teetotaling Irish family man known for his signature whistle sound which let the people know it was him blowing through their towns. On the night of April 29 and early morning of April 30, 1900, Casey Jones was a last minute substitute for another engine driver who wasn’t feeling well. Doubling back from where he came, Casey was on a light “Cannonball†train with only his fireman as a fellow passenger. Intent on getting to his destination in record time, his train was going at 70 miles an hour around a blind curve. Up ahead on the tracks was a stalled freight train. Casey Jones told his fireman to jump, and he collided into the caboose while holding the train’s throttle in one hand and the whistle in the other. His friend Wallace Saunders immortalized him in song which quickly spread the country (especially after vaudeville musicians adopted it) and Casey became a folk hero. The lyrics sing in part: “May his spirit live forever throughout the land / As the greatest of all heroes of a railroad man.â€
Casey Jones is arguably the most famous railroad engineer in American history. He was made famous by an epic folksong called “The Ballad of Casey Jones†(written in tribute by a black engine wiper who had been a devoted friend to Jones). Casey Jones actually received his nickname from the town from which he hailed, Cayce, Kentucky. He was a loveable, teetotaling Irish family man known for his signature whistle sound which let the people know it was him blowing through their towns. On the night of April 29 and early morning of April 30, 1900, Casey Jones was a last minute substitute for another engine driver who wasn’t feeling well. Doubling back from where he came, Casey was on a light “Cannonball†train with only his fireman as a fellow passenger. Intent on getting to his destination in record time, his train was going at 70 miles an hour around a blind curve. Up ahead on the tracks was a stalled freight train. Casey Jones told his fireman to jump, and he collided into the caboose while holding the train’s throttle in one hand and the whistle in the other. His friend Wallace Saunders immortalized him in song which quickly spread the country (especially after vaudeville musicians adopted it) and Casey became a folk hero. The lyrics sing in part: “May his spirit live forever throughout the land / As the greatest of all heroes of a railroad man.â€
John Wayne was the iconic and hugely successful American movie star born in Iowa with the unfortunate moniker of Marion Morrison. Called “Duke†(happily) from a young age, the man whom the studios dubbed John Wayne came to movies by way of odd jobs and bit parts. It took the genius of director John Ford to insist on his being cast in 1939’s Stagecoach to send John Wayne to superstardom via almost 150 movies, most of them Westerns. Among his most popular movies were Rio Bravo, The Quiet Man, The Searchers, and True Grit, for which he won an Academy Award. John Wayne was known in later years as much for his conservative politics as for his movies, as he boosted Republican causes, championed the war in Vietnam and bemoaned the state of contemporary American youth. As much as he stood for a militant aggressiveness, he never joined the armed services, although he tried. Deferred because of his age and family status, he was also the object his studio’s efforts to keep him on the lot cranking out pictures. Nonetheless, he epitomized the fighting patriotic American to the day of his death. Married three times, John Wayne fathered seven children and died of stomach cancer, after having beaten lung cancer some years earlier. He remains one of the best known and most popular figures of American culture to this day, and even has an airport named after him. Not bad for a boy named Sue, er, Marion.
Yes, we know that "Tyler" is his last name, but we wanted to throw him in here given his obvious influence on the popularity of the name Tyler as a given name in America. John Tyler was the 10th President of the United States. In the previous term, he had been William Henry Harrison’s VP – and when Harrison died suddenly of pneumonia within a year of his term, Tyler ascended to the Chief Executive position. A southern gentleman (he hailed from Virginia), Tyler had a long political career. He wants power and he has a plan, which isolated him from many. Seen as aloof, stubborn, aristocratic and independent – he was a one-term President. Nonetheless, his presidency is marked by two important achievements: the annexation of Texas and a treaty with England to establish the Canadian border. Oh, and the man also procreated 15 children in his lifetime!
Yes, we know that "Tyler" is his last name, but we wanted to throw him in here given his obvious influence on the popularity of the name Tyler as a given name in America. John Tyler was the 10th President of the United States. In the previous term, he had been William Henry Harrison’s VP – and when Harrison died suddenly of pneumonia within a year of his term, Tyler ascended to the Chief Executive position. A southern gentleman (he hailed from Virginia), Tyler had a long political career. He wants power and he has a plan, which isolated him from many. Seen as aloof, stubborn, aristocratic and independent – he was a one-term President. Nonetheless, his presidency is marked by two important achievements: the annexation of Texas and a treaty with England to establish the Canadian border. Oh, and the man also procreated 15 children in his lifetime!
Casey Jones is arguably the most famous railroad engineer in American history. He was made famous by an epic folksong called “The Ballad of Casey Jones†(written in tribute by a black engine wiper who had been a devoted friend to Jones). Casey Jones actually received his nickname from the town from which he hailed, Cayce, Kentucky. He was a loveable, teetotaling Irish family man known for his signature whistle sound which let the people know it was him blowing through their towns. On the night of April 29 and early morning of April 30, 1900, Casey Jones was a last minute substitute for another engine driver who wasn’t feeling well. Doubling back from where he came, Casey was on a light “Cannonball†train with only his fireman as a fellow passenger. Intent on getting to his destination in record time, his train was going at 70 miles an hour around a blind curve. Up ahead on the tracks was a stalled freight train. Casey Jones told his fireman to jump, and he collided into the caboose while holding the train’s throttle in one hand and the whistle in the other. His friend Wallace Saunders immortalized him in song which quickly spread the country (especially after vaudeville musicians adopted it) and Casey became a folk hero. The lyrics sing in part: “May his spirit live forever throughout the land / As the greatest of all heroes of a railroad man.â€
Born on Independence Day 1872 in Vermont, Calvin Coolidge’s family had deep roots in New England dating back to the time of early colonial settlements. In fact, his great-great-grandfather was an American military officer in the Revolutionary War. Calvin Coolidge became a country lawyer in Vermont and joined the Republican Party (dominant in New England during his time). After becoming involved in politics, Coolidge went to Massachusetts and diligently worked his way up the political ladder until he became Governor. After gaining national political capital stemming from the 1919 Boston Police Strike (during which time he held fast against the strikers whom he referred to as “deserters†and “traitors), Coolidge would gain the candidacy for Vice President on the 1920 Republican ticket with Warren Harding. In 1923, Coolidge would assume the presidency after the sudden death of Harding and was again elected in his own right in 1924. His presidency was marked by his laissez-faire approach, a small-government proponent and a man of few words. As a Coolidge biographer put it, "He embodied the spirit and hopes of the middle class, could interpret their longings and express their opinions. That he did represent the genius of the average is the most convincing proof of his strength." This reduction of government would not be revisited in any significant way until Ronald Reagan.
Yes, we know that "Tyler" is his last name, but we wanted to throw him in here given his obvious influence on the popularity of the name Tyler as a given name in America. John Tyler was the 10th President of the United States. In the previous term, he had been William Henry Harrison’s VP – and when Harrison died suddenly of pneumonia within a year of his term, Tyler ascended to the Chief Executive position. A southern gentleman (he hailed from Virginia), Tyler had a long political career. He wants power and he has a plan, which isolated him from many. Seen as aloof, stubborn, aristocratic and independent – he was a one-term President. Nonetheless, his presidency is marked by two important achievements: the annexation of Texas and a treaty with England to establish the Canadian border. Oh, and the man also procreated 15 children in his lifetime!
