Don Marquis
Writers

Don Marquis Net Worth

Don Marquis was a renowned American humorist, newspaper columnist, journalist and novelist born in 1929 in Walnut, Illinois. He is best known for his characters Archy the cockroach and Mehitabel the Alley Cat, as well as his "Sun Dial" column in "The Evening Sun" newspaper, which featured quips, commentary and humorous verse. His character Old Soak was so popular that it inspired a Broadway play, a silent film, a "talkie" and a radio drama. Marquis was a finalist for the O. Henry Memorial Prize three times and wrote 35 books, co-writing for films such as 'The Spots Pages', 'Shinbone Alley', 'The Good Old Soak' and 'Skippy'. The film 'The Cruise of the Jasper B' was loosely based on one of his novels.
Don Marquis is a member of Writers

Age, Biography and Wiki

Who is it? Humorist
Birth Day July 18, 1929
Birth Place Walnut, Illinois, United States
Age 91 YEARS OLD
Died On December 29, 1937
Birth Sign Leo

💰 Net worth: $16 Million (2024)

Don Marquis, a renowned humorist in the United States, is expected to have a net worth of around $16 million in 2024. With his exceptional wit and comedic talents, Marquis has captured the hearts of audiences across the nation. He is well-known for his clever observations on various aspects of life, and his humorous writings have earned him both critical acclaim and financial success. As his popularity continues to grow, it is no surprise that Don Marquis' net worth is estimated to reach such impressive heights in the coming years.

Biography/Timeline

1892

Marquis grew up in Walnut, Illinois. His brother David died in 1892 at the age of 20; his father James died in 1897. After graduating from Walnut High School in 1894, he attended Knox Academy, a now-defunct preparatory program run by Knox College, in 1896, but left after three months. From 1902 to 1907 he served on the editorial board of the Atlanta Journal where he wrote many editorials during the heated election between his publisher Hoke Smith and Future Pulitzer Prize winner, Clark Howell (Smith was the victor).

1912

Marquis began work for the New York newspaper The Evening Sun in 1912 and edited for the next eleven years a daily column, "The Sun Dial". During 1922 he left The Evening Sun (shortened to The Sun in 1920) for the New York Tribune (renamed the New York Herald Tribune in 1924), where his daily column, "The Tower" (later "The Lantern") was a great success. He regularly contributed columns and short stories to the Saturday Evening Post, Collier's and American magazines and also appeared in Harper's, Scribner's, Golden Book, and Cosmopolitan.

1916

Marquis's best-known creation was Archy, a fictional cockroach (developed as a character during 1916) who had been a free-verse poet in a previous life, and who supposedly left poems on Marquis's typewriter by jumping on the keys. Archy usually typed only lower-case letters, without punctuation, because he could not operate the shift key. His verses were a type of social satire, and were used by Marquis in his newspaper columns titled "archy and mehitabel"; mehitabel was an alley cat, occasional companion of archy and the subject of some of archy's verses. The archy and mehitabel pieces were illustrated by Cartoonist George Herriman, better known to posterity as the author of the newspaper comic Krazy Kat. Other characters developed by Marquis included Pete the Pup, Clarence the ghost, and an egomaniacal toad named Warty Bliggins.

1923

In 1909, Marquis married Reina Melcher, with whom he had a son, Robert (1915–1921) and a daughter, Barbara (1918–1931). Reina died on December 2, 1923.

1926

Marquis was the author of about 35 books. He co-wrote (or contributed posthumously) to the films The Sports Pages, Shinbone Alley, The Good Old Soak and Skippy. The 1926 film The Cruise of the Jasper B was supposedly based on his 1916 novel of the same name, although the plots have little in Common.

1936

Three years later Marquis married the Actress Marjorie Potts Vonnegut, whose first husband, actor Walter Vonnegut, was a cousin of American author, Playwright and satirist Kurt Vonnegut Jr. She died in her sleep on October 25, 1936.

1943

On August 23, 1943, the United States Navy christened a Liberty ship, the USS Don Marquis (IX-215), in his memory.

Some Don Marquis images

About the author

Lisa Scholfield

As a Senior Writer at Famous Net Worth, I spearhead an exceptional team dedicated to uncovering and sharing the stories of pioneering individuals. My passion for unearthing untold narratives drives me to delve deep into the essence of each subject, bringing forth a unique blend of factual accuracy and narrative allure. In orchestrating the editorial workflow, I am deeply involved in every step—from initial research to the final touches of publishing, ensuring each biography not only informs but also engages and inspires our readership.