George Jean Nathan

George Jean Nathan was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana in 1882. He attended Cornell University, where he was an editor of The Cornell Daily Sun and a member of the Quill and Dagger society. Nathan went on to become a notable critic and editor, working closely with H.L. Mencken. With Mencken, Nathan co-edited the literary magazine The Smart Set, helping bring about a golden era for literature by introducing authors like Aldous Huxley and F. Scott Fitzgerald. In 1924, Nathan and Mencken founded the magazine The American Mercury; however, Nathan was forced to resign as co-editor a year later. A longtime bachelor, Nathan finally married actress Julie Haydon in 1955. He died in in 1958, at age 76.