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Portal:New England/Selected biography/1
Calvin Coolidge (1923)
Calvin Coolidge was the 30th
President of the United States, from 1923 to 1929. He was born in
Plymouth, Vermont on July 4, 1872. He went to
St. Johnsbury Academy for a year before attending
Amherst College. After graduating, he followed the footsteps of a local
law firm, and became active in
politics. He worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state. He got placed into the national spotlight after the
Boston Police Strike in 1919, and was elected
Vice President shortly after. Upon the death of
Warren G. Harding, Coolidge became president. He was then reelected in 1924. On January 5, 1933, he died of a
heart attack in his home. (
Full article...)
Portal:New England/Selected biography/2
This portrait, first published in 1885, was alleged to be a 1625 likeness of Standish, although its authenticity has never been proven
Myles Standish was an English military officer hired by the
Pilgrims as military advisor for
Plymouth Colony. One of the
Mayflower passengers, Standish played a leading role in the administration and defense of Plymouth Colony from its inception. On February 17, 1621, the Plymouth Colony militia elected him as its first commander and continued to re-elect him to that position for the remainder of his life. Standish served as an agent of Plymouth Colony in
England, as assistant governor, and as treasurer of Plymouth Colony. He was also one of the first settlers and founders of the town of
Duxbury, Massachusetts. (
Full article...)
Portal:New England/Selected biography/3
The only authenticated portrait of Emily Dickinson later than childhood.
Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was an American
poet. Born in
Amherst, Massachusetts, to a successful family with strong community ties, she lived a mostly introverted and reclusive life. After she studied at the
Amherst Academy for seven years in her youth, she spent a short time at
Mount Holyoke Female Seminary before returning to her family's house in Amherst. Thought of as an eccentric by the locals, she became known for her penchant for white clothing and her reluctance to greet guests or, later in life, even leave her room. Most of her friendships were therefore carried out by correspondence. (
Full article...)
Portal:New England/Selected biography/5
Adams standing in the middle of a group of New York Knickerbockers in 1859
Daniel Lucius "Doc" Adams was a
New Hampshire-born
baseball player and executive who is regarded by historians as an important figure in the sport's early years. For most of his career he was a member of the
New York Knickerbockers. He first played for the New York Base Ball Club in 1840 and started his Knickerbockers career five years later, continuing to play for the club into his forties and to take part in inter-squad practice games and matches against opposing teams. Researchers regard Adams as the creator of the
shortstop position, which he used to field short throws from
outfielders. In addition to his playing career, Adams manufactured baseballs and oversaw
bat production; he also occasionally acted as an
umpire. (
Full article...)
Portal:New England/Selected biography/6
Portrait of Samuel Adams by John Singleton Copley
Samuel Adams was a
Massachusetts statesman, politician, writer, and
political philosopher, and one of the
Founding Fathers of the United States. Adams was instrumental in garnering the support of the colonies in rebellion against
Great Britain, ultimately resulting in the
American Revolution. He was also one of the key architects of the principles of American
republicanism that shaped
American political culture. Adams organized protests against the British, including the
Boston Tea Party in 1773, and participated in the
Continental Congress. He also advocated for the adoption of the
Declaration of Independence at the
Second Continental Congress. Following the American Revolution, Adams helped draft the
Articles of Confederation. After the war ended, he ran for the
House of Representatives in the
1st United States Congressional election, but was unsuccessful in his bid. He was elected
Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts in 1789 and after
John Hancock's death in 1793, Adams served as the acting governor, until he was elected governor in January of the following year. He served in that position until June 1797 when he decided to retire from politics. (
Full article...)
Portal:New England/Selected biography/7
Holmes in about 1853
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. was a
Massachusetts-born physician, poet, professor, lecturer, and author. Regarded by his peers as one of the best writers of the 19th century, he is considered a member of the
Fireside Poets. His most famous prose works are the "Breakfast-Table" series, which began with
The Autocrat of the Breakfast-Table (1858). He is also recognized as an important medical reformer. Surrounded by
Boston's literary elite—which included friends such as
Ralph Waldo Emerson,
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and
James Russell Lowell—Holmes made an indelible imprint on the literary world of the 19th century. Many of his works were published in
The Atlantic Monthly, a magazine that he named. For his literary achievements and other accomplishments, he was awarded numerous honorary degrees from universities around the world. Holmes's writing often commemorated his native Boston area, and much of it was meant to be humorous or conversational. (
Full article...)
Portal:New England/Selected biography/9
Francis and the Pixies headlining at the Brixton Academy, October 2009
Black Francis (born
Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV) is a
Massachusetts-born singer, songwriter and
guitarist. He is best known as the frontman of the influential
alternative rock band
Pixies, with whom he performs under the
stage name Black Francis. Following the band's breakup in 1993, he embarked on a solo career under the name
Frank Black. After releasing two albums with
4AD, he left the label and formed a new band,
Frank Black and the Catholics. He reformed the Pixies in 2004 and continues to release solo records and tour as a solo artist, having re-adopted his current stage name in 2007. (
Full article...)
Portal:New England/Selected biography/10
Portrait of George Washington Dixon, c. 1836
George Washington Dixon was an American singer, stage actor, and
newspaper editor. He rose to prominence as a
blackface performer (possibly the first American to do so) after performing "
Coal Black Rose", "
Zip Coon", and similar songs. He later turned to a career in
journalism, during which he earned the enmity of members of the upper class for his frequent allegations against them. By 1835, Dixon considered journalism to be his primary vocation. His first major paper was
Dixon's Daily Review, which he published from
Lowell, Massachusetts, in 1835. He followed this in 1836 with
Dixon's Saturday Night Express, published in
Boston. (
Full article...)
Portal:New England/Selected biography/11
Publicity photograph of Hepburn, c. 1941
Katharine Houghton Hepburn was an American actress of film, stage, and television. Known for her headstrong independence and spirited personality, Hepburn's career as a
Hollywood leading lady spanned more than 60 years. Her work came in a range of genres, from
screwball comedy to literary drama, and she received four
Academy Awards for
Best Actress—a record for any performer. Hepburn's characters were often strong, sophisticated women with a hidden vulnerability.
Raised in Connecticut by wealthy, progressive parents, Hepburn began to act while studying at Bryn Mawr College. After four years in the theatre, favorable reviews of her work on Broadway brought her to the attention of Hollywood. Her early years in the film industry were marked with success, including an Academy Award for her third picture, Morning Glory (1933), but this was followed by a series of commercial failures. Hepburn masterminded her own comeback, buying out her contract with RKO Radio Pictures and acquiring the film rights to The Philadelphia Story, which she sold on the condition that she be the star. In the 1940s she was contracted to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, where her career focused on an alliance with Spencer Tracy. The screen-partnership spanned 25 years, and produced nine movies. (Full article...)
Portal:New England/Selected biography/12
Captain Hudner addresses a crowd wearing his Medal of Honor
Thomas Jerome Hudner, Jr. is a retired
officer of the
United States Navy and a former
naval aviator. He rose to the rank of
captain, and received the
Medal of Honor for his actions in trying to save the life of his
wingman,
Ensign Jesse L. Brown, during the
Battle of Chosin Reservoir in the
Korean War.
Born in Fall River, Massachusetts, Hudner attended Phillips Academy and the United States Naval Academy. Initially uninterested in aviation, he eventually took up flying and joined Fighter Squadron 32, flying the F4U Corsair at the outbreak of the Korean War. Arriving near Korea in October 1950, he flew support missions from the USS Leyte.
On 4 December 1950, Hudner and Brown were among a group of pilots on patrol near the Chosin Reservoir when Brown's Corsair was struck by ground fire from Chinese troops and crashed. In an attempt to save Brown from his burning aircraft, Hudner intentionally crash-landed his own aircraft on a snowy mountain in freezing temperatures to help Brown. In spite of these efforts, Brown died of his injuries and Hudner was forced to evacuate, having also been injured in the landing. (Full article...)
Portal:New England/Selected biography/13
Du Bois' 1836 Portrait, now kept by the Library of Congress
William Edward Burghardt "
W. E. B."
Du Bois was an American
sociologist,
historian,
civil rights activist,
Pan-Africanist, author and editor. Born in western
Massachusetts, Du Bois grew up in a tolerant community and experienced little racism as a child. After graduating from
Harvard, where he was the first
African American to earn a doctorate, he became a professor of history, sociology and economics at
Atlanta University. Du Bois was one of the co-founders of the
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909.
Du Bois rose to national prominence as the leader of the Niagara Movement, a group of African-American activists who wanted equal rights for blacks. Du Bois and his supporters opposed the Atlanta Compromise, an agreement crafted by Booker T. Washington which provided that Southern blacks would work and submit to white political rule, while Southern whites guaranteed that blacks would receive basic educational and economic opportunities. Instead, Du Bois insisted on full civil rights and increased political representation, which he believed would be brought about by the African-American intellectual elite. He referred to this group as the talented tenth and believed that African Americans needed the chances for advanced education to develop its leadership. (Full article...)
Portal:New England/Selected biography/14
Blaine's portrait as Secretary of State, c. 1875
James Gillespie Blaine was an American
Republican politician who served as
United States Representative,
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives,
U.S. Senator from
Maine, and twice as
Secretary of State. He was nominated for
President in 1884, but was narrowly defeated by
Democrat Grover Cleveland. Blaine was one of the late 19th century's leading Republicans and champion of the moderate reformist faction of the party known as the "
Half-Breeds".
Blaine was born in western Pennsylvania and moved to Maine where he became a newspaper editor. Nicknamed "the Magnetic Man," he was a charismatic speaker in an era that prized oratory. He began his political career as an early supporter of Abraham Lincoln and the Union war effort in the American Civil War. In Reconstruction, Blaine was a supporter of black suffrage, but opposed some of the more coercive measures of the Radical Republicans. Initially a protectionist, he later worked for a reduction in the tariff and an expansion of American trade with foreign countries. Railroad promotion and construction were important issues in his time, and as a result of his interest and support Blaine was widely suspected of corruption in the awarding of railroad charters; these allegations plagued his 1884 presidential candidacy. (Full article...)
Portal:New England/Selected biography/15
Ellis Paul performing in Oklahoma in 2010
Ellis Paul is an American
singer-songwriter and
folk musician. Born in
Aroostook County, Maine, Paul is a key figure in what has become known as the
Boston school of
songwriting, a literate, provocative and urbanely romantic
folk-pop style that helped ignite the folk revival of the 1990s. His
pop music songs have appeared in movies and on television, bridging the gap between the modern folk sound and the
populist traditions of
Woody Guthrie and
Pete Seeger.
Having grown up in a small town in Maine, Paul attended Boston College on a track scholarship where he majored in English. An athletic injury sustained during his junior year changed the course of his professional career. Paul picked up a guitar to pass the time while sidelined, and discovered that playing guitar and writing songs was the creative outlet he had been looking for. After graduating from college he began playing at open mic nights in the Boston area while working with inner-city school children. Paul's growing popularity at Boston coffeehouses, coupled with winning a Boston Acoustic Underground songwriter competition and national exposure on a Windham Hill Records compilation combined to give him the confidence to resign his day-job and pursue a career as a professional musician. (Full article...)
Portal:New England/Selected biography/16
Portrait of Willis, c. 1855
Nathaniel Parker Willis was an American author, poet and editor who worked with several notable American writers including
Edgar Allan Poe and
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. He became the highest-paid magazine writer of his day.
Born in Portland, Maine, Willis came from a family of publishers. Willis developed an interest in literature while attending Yale College and began publishing poetry. After graduation, he worked as an overseas correspondent for the New York Mirror. He eventually moved to New York and began to build his literary reputation. In 1846, he started his own publication, the Home Journal, which was eventually renamed Town & Country. Shortly after, Willis moved to a home on the Hudson River where he lived a semi-retired life until his death in 1867. (Full article...)
Portal:New England/Selected biography/18
Portrait of Chester A. Arthur, 1882
Chester Alan Arthur was the
21st President of the United States. Becoming President after
the assassination of President
James A. Garfield, Arthur struggled to overcome suspicions of his beginnings as a politician from the New York City
Republican machine, succeeding at that task by embracing the cause of civil service reform. His advocacy for, and enforcement of, the
Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act was the centerpiece of his administration.
Born in Fairfield, Vermont, Arthur grew up in upstate New York and practiced law in New York City. He devoted much of his time to Republican politics and quickly rose in the political machine run by New York Senator Roscoe Conkling. Appointed by President Ulysses S. Grant to the lucrative and politically powerful post of Collector of the Port of New York in 1871, Arthur was an important supporter of Conkling and the Stalwart faction of the Republican Party. In 1878 he was replaced by the new president, Rutherford B. Hayes, who was trying to reform the federal patronage system in New York. When James Garfield won the Republican nomination for President in 1880, Arthur was nominated for Vice President to balance the ticket by adding an eastern Stalwart to it. (Full article...)
Portal:New England/Selected biography/19
Russell, February 2011
William Felton "
Bill"
Russell is a retired American professional
basketball player who played
center for the
Boston Celtics of the
National Basketball Association (NBA). A five-time winner of the
NBA Most Valuable Player Award and a twelve-time
All-Star, Russell was the centerpiece of the Celtics
dynasty that
won eleven NBA Championships during Russell's thirteen-year career. Russell holds the record for the most championships won by an athlete in an American sports league.
Russell is widely considered one of the best players in NBA history. Listed as between 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) and 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m), Russell's shot-blocking and man-to-man defense were major reasons for the Celtics' success. He also inspired his teammates to elevate their own defensive play. Russell was equally notable for his rebounding abilities. He led the NBA in rebounds four times, and remains second all-time in both total rebounds and rebounds per game. He is one of just two NBA players (the other being prominent rival Wilt Chamberlain) to have grabbed more than fifty rebounds in a game. Though never the focal point of the Celtics' offense, Russell also scored 14,522 career points and provided effective passing. (Full article...)
Portal:New England/Selected biography/20
Daguerreotype of Poe, 1848
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American
Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of
mystery and the
macabre, Edgar Allan Poe was also one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the
detective fiction genre. He is further credited with contributing to the emerging genre of
science fiction. Poe was the first well-known American writer to try to earn a living through writing alone, resulting in a financially difficult life and career.
He was born as Edgar Poe in Boston, Massachusetts; although he was orphaned at a very young age when his mother died shortly after his father abandoned the family. Poe was taken in by John and Frances Allan, of Richmond, Virginia, but they never formally adopted him. He attended the University of Virginia for one semester but left due to lack of money. After enlisting in the Army and later failing as an officer's cadet at West Point, Poe parted ways with the Allan's. His publishing career began humbly, with an anonymous collection of poems, Tamerlane and Other Poems (1827), credited only to "a Bostonian". (Full article...)
Portal:New England/Selected biography/21
Art Ross (c. 1910)
Art Ross was a Canadian
ice hockey defenceman and
executive from 1905 until 1954. Regarded as one of the best defenders of his era by his peers, he was one of the first to skate with the puck up the ice rather than pass it to a forward. He was on
Stanley Cup championship teams twice in a playing career that lasted thirteen seasons. Like other players of the time, Ross played for several different teams and leagues. He retired as a player in 1918 when the home stadium of his team, the
Montreal Wanderers, burned down
When the Boston Bruins were formed in 1924, Ross was hired as the first coach and general manager of the team. He would go on to coach the team on four separate occasions until 1945 and stayed as general manager until his retirement in 1954. Ross helped the Bruins finish first place in the league ten times and to win the Stanley Cup three times; Ross personally coached the team to one of those victories. After being hired by the Bruins, Ross, along with his wife and two sons, moved to a suburb of Boston, and became an American citizen in 1938. He died near Boston in 1964. (Full article...)
Portal:New England/Selected biography/22
Tiny Thompson (c. 1930)
"Tiny" Thompson was a
Canadian professional
ice hockey goaltender. He played 12 seasons in the
National Hockey League (NHL), first for the
Boston Bruins, and later for the
Detroit Red Wings. A four-time
Vezina Trophy winner, Thompson was inducted into the
Hockey Hall of Fame in 1959. He was a member of one
Stanley Cup-winning team, as a rookie in the
1928–29 season with the Boston Bruins. At the start of the
1938–39 season, after ten full seasons with Boston, he was traded to the Detroit Red Wings, where he completed the season, and played another full one before retiring. During his NHL career, he recorded 81 shutouts, the sixth highest of any goaltender. After retiring from playing, he coached lower-league teams before becoming a noted professional scout. Thompson helped popularize the technique of catching the
puck as a method of making a
save. A competent puckhandler, he was the first goaltender in the NHL to record an
assist by passing the puck with his
stick to a fellow player. (
Full article...)
Portal:New England/Selected biography/23
Anne Hutchinson on Trial
Anne Hutchinson, born
Anne Marbury (1591–1643), was a
Puritan woman, spiritual adviser, mother of 15, and important participant in the
Antinomian Controversy that shook the infant
Massachusetts Bay Colony from 1636 to 1638. Her strong religious convictions were at odds with the established Puritan clergy in the
Boston area, and her popularity and charisma helped create a theological schism that threatened to destroy the Puritans' religious experiment in New England. She was eventually tried and convicted, then banished from the colony with many of her supporters. With encouragement from
Providence founder,
Roger Williams, Hutchinson and many of her supporters established the settlement of
Portsmouth in what became the
Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. After her husband's death she moved to
New Netherland near an ancient landmark called
Split Rock in what later became
The Bronx in
New York City. Here all but one of the 16 members of her household were massacred during an attack, the only survivor being her nine-year old daughter,
Susanna, who was taken captive. Her well-publicised trials and the accusations against her make Hutchinson the most famous, or infamous, English woman in colonial American history. (
Full article...)
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