0408
Lindbergh, Charles Augustus (1902-1974). American aviator.
Born in Detroit, MI, to parents of Swedish descent and raised in
Minnesota, Charles Lindbergh wanted to become a flyer in World War I but was
too young. After three semesters studying engineering at the University of
Wisconsin, he left to become a barnstorming pilot and later enlisted in the
Army Air Service and became a captain in the Missouri National Guard.
Lindbergh’s 1927 nonstop flight from New York to Paris piloting the Spirit
of St. Louis made him an international celebrity. In 1929 he married Anne
Cutter Morrow, who became his copilot. Cather met the Lindberghs in 1931,
when both she and Charles Lindbergh were given honorary degrees by Princeton
University. On March 1, 1932, the Lindberghs first child, Charles Jr., was
kidnapped; the crime and the discovery of the boy’s body ten weeks later
were a media sensation. In 1939 Charles Lindbergh advocated against American
involvement in World War II, and although he eventually supported the war,
his non-interventionist stance tarnished his reputation. His bestselling
book about his pioneering flight, The Spirit of St.
Louis (1953), was awarded a Pulitzer Prize.
1336Kellogg, Frank
Billings (1856-1937). American lawyer and secretary of state.
Born in Potsdam, NY, to Asa F. Kellogg and Abigail Billings Kellogg,
Frank Kellogg passed the bar in 1877 after having worked as a farmer. In
1887 he became a partner in the firm of Cushman Kellogg Davis. Known as a
“trust buster,” he won a series of monumental cases against leading
industrial figures, and became a friend of Theodore Roosevelt. In 1912
Kellogg became president of the American Bar Association and in 1916 was
elected to the Senate. In 1923 President Calvin Coolidge appointed Kellogg
ambassador to England and in 1925 appointed him to secretary of state. Willa
Cather met Kellogg when they both received honorary degrees from Princeton
University in 1931.
1337
Baker, Newton Diehl (1871-1937). American lawyer, politician, and
secretary of war. Born in Martinsburg, WV, to Newton Diehl Baker
and Mary Ann Dukehart Baker, Newton Baker graduated from Johns Hopkins
University in 1892 and earned his law degree from Washington and Lee
University in 1894. Baker served as the mayor of Cleveland, OH, from 1911 to
1915. In 1916 he became secretary of war for President Woodrow Wilson and
instituted systematic conscription during World War I. After leaving public
office in 1921, he practiced law and served the army on various boards.
Willa Cather met Baker when they both received honorary degrees from
Princeton University in 1931.
1338Goldschmidt, Adolph
(1863-1944). German art historian. Born in Hamburg, Germany,
Adolph Goldschmidt attended Jena, Kiel, and Leipzig Universities. He taught
art history at the University of Berlin from 1893 to 1929. Goldschmidt also
taught at Harvard University from 1927 to 1928 and 1930 to 1931, and at New
York University from 1936 to 1937. A member of the Prussian Academy of
Sciences, Goldschmidt retired in 1932 and was forced to flee to Switzerland
in 1939. Willa Cather met Goldschmidt when they both received honorary
degrees from Princeton University in 1931.
1339Watson, Charles Roger
(1873-1948). American pastor and university president. Born in
Cairo, Egypt, to Presbyterian missionaries Margaret Watson and Andrew
Watson, Charles Watson attended Princeton University and Princeton
Theological Seminary. From 1900 to 1902 he was pastor to the First United
Presbyterian Church of St. Louis, MO; in 1902 the Board of Foreign Missions
appointed him its Corresponding Secretary. Watson also founded and was the
first president of the American University at Cairo. Willa Cather met Watson
when they both received honorary degrees from Princeton University in 1931.
1340
Godfrey, Aaron W.
(1874-1943). American businessman. Born in New York City, to
Sophia Adolphus Godfrey and William Godfrey, Aaron Godfrey graduated from
Princeton University in 1896. He worked as a reporter and assistant city
editor of the Newark Evening News before entering the
real estate business as an agent and builder. Godfrey also collected books
and produced a collection of poetry, Nepenthe (1926).
Willa Cather met Godfrey when they both received honorary degrees from
Princeton University in 1931.