Donald Robert Perry Marquis

Don Marquis (Donald Robert Perry Marquis, 1878–1937) was an American humorist, journalist, and columnist. Born in Walnut, Illinois, he became widely known for his newspaper work and for creating the comic characters Archy, a cockroach, and Mehitabel, an alley cat, whose free-verse monologues appeared in the *New York Evening Sun*. Marquis also wrote plays, novels, and poetry, and his wit made him a prominent voice in early 20th-century American journalism. He worked for several newspapers, including the *Atlanta Journal* and the *New York Evening Sun*. Marquis died in New York City in 1937.