Died On This Date

May 13
Cooper, Gary (Frank James)
b. May 7, 1901 d. May 13, 1961
Actor. His career lasted over thirty six years in which he received five Academy Award nominations for Best Actor, winning twice and also received an Honorary Award from the Academy for his many memorable screen performances and the international recognition he, as an individual, had gained for the motion picture industry. He was born Frank James Cooper in Helena, Montana to English parents and spent part of his childhood around Helena - his father served as a Montana Supreme Curt Justice.

O'Hanlon, Virginia
b. July 20, 1889 d. May 13, 1971
American Folk Figure. She penned the most famous Christmas letter of the last two centuries. As an eight-year-old girl, Virginia O'Hanlon asked her father Philip whether there was a Santa Claus. His best advice was to write to the "New York Sun" and, if she saw it in print there, she could believe it. The letter, written September 21, 1897 to the general editor of the "Sun" Francis Pharcellus Church.

Blocker, Dan
b. December 10, 1928 d. May 13, 1972
Actor. He is best remembered for his role of ‘Hoss Cartwright' in the TV series, "Bonanza," which ran from 1959 to 1972. Born in Bowie County, Texas, he entered the movie and television field in 1955 with his first role in the film, "Hook a Crook" (1955). He began taking small cameo roles on television, in such programs (mostly westerns) as "Gunsmoke," "Playhouse 90," "Cheyenne," "Tales of Wells Fargo," "The Restless Gun," "Maverick," "The Rifleman," and "Zane Grey Theater."

Peterson, Oscar Verner
b. August 27, 1899 d. May 13, 1942World War II Congressional Medal of Honor recipient. Born in Prentis, Wisconsin and enlisted in the Navy December 8, 1920. He served continuously at sea and on April 8, 1941, reported for duty on the U.S.S. NEOSHO (AO-23) as Chief Water Tender. His citation reads, "At the Battle of the Coral Sea on May 7, 1942, his ship was under heavy attacks from Japanese dive bombers. Furious fires broke out and the struggle to save the ship began. He was in charge of a repair party below.

Wills, James Robert 'Bob'
b. March 6, 1905 d. May 13, 1975'King of Western Swing'. Founder of Bob Will's western swing band. The inscription on his headstone reads "Deep Within My Heart Lies a Melody."

Clem, John Lincoln
b. August 31, 1851 d. May 13, 1937
Civil War Figure, United States Army General. On May 24, 1861, at just 9-years of age, he left his home in Newark, Ohio, to join the fighting that had recently erupted in what would become the Civil War. His mother had been killed in a train accident, and he was now free to do his part to protect the Union. The first thing he did was to change his name. He was born John Joseph Klem, but changed his middle name to Lincoln because of his admiration for President Abraham Lincoln.

Winder, David F.
b. August 10, 1946 d. May 13, 1970
Vietnam Congressional Medal of Honor recipient. Served as a Private First Class, U.S. Army, Headquarters Company, 3d Battalion, 1st Infantry, 11th Infantry Brigade. In Vietnam on May 13, 1970 Pfc. Winder a senior medical aid man with Company A, was in a sweep of a freshly cut rice paddy when his unit came under assault from an entrenched force. Hearing cries from the wounded, the unarmed Winder started to crawl toward the nearest casualty across a long swath of bullet-swept terrain.

Ahern, George Patrick
b. December 29, 1859 d. May 13, 1940
United States Army Officer, Conservationist. He served in Cuba and the Philippines during the Spanish-American War. After the war, he remained in the Philippines to organize the Office of Patents, Copyrights and Trademarks and later the Bureau of Forestry for the Philippine Government. Earlier in 1890, he explored some of the last areas unmapped in Montana, mapping what would become Glacier National Park.

Phillips, William
b. 1731 d. May 13, 1781
Major General William Phillips. Artillery hero in the Seven Years War; Deputy commander to General John Burgoyne at Battle of Saratoga; Prisoner of War at Albemarle Barracks, Virginia; Commander of the British Campaign in Virginia March-May 1781 and Army at the Battle of Petersburg on 25 April 1781. Cause of death: "Malignant Fever".

Sarazen, Gene
b. February 27, 1902 d. May 13, 1999
Professional Golfer. Gene Sarazen was the first professional golfer to win all four major championships. He was also known for his legendary "shot heard 'round the world" with his rare double-eagle in the 1935 Masters. Born Eugenio Saraceni, he was known as "The Squire" for his golf knickers and cap. Sarazen is also known as the inventor of the sand wedge.

Jenks, Frank
b. November 4, 1902 d. May 13, 1962
Character Actor and Musician. He made more than 130 movies, including the classic comedy "His Girl Friday" (1940) as a newspaper reporter and as a singing cabdriver in "100 Men and a Girl" with Deanna Durbin. He appeared playing his trombone in "The Big Broadcast of 1937." He also worked in "Letter of Introduction" (1938), "Golden Boy" (1939), "Follow the Boys" (1944), "Two Girls and a Sailor" (1944) and "Christmas in Connecticut" (1945).

Case, Theodore W.
b. December 12, 1888 d. May 13, 1944
Inventor. An important figure in the development of sound motion pictures. Case was born in Auburn, New York, into a socially prominent family. He began to experiment with photographing sound waves while a student at Yale, and in 1916 he set up the Case Research Laboratory in a greenhouse at his Auburn estate. During World War I he worked on classified projects involving infrared signals for the US Navy.

Burks, Robert
b. July 4, 1909 d. May 13, 1968
Cinematographer. He was the favorite cameraman of director Alfred Hitchcock. From 1951 to 1964 Burks shot 12 films for the "Master of Suspense", a remarkable collaboration that resulted in some of the most memorable images in Hollywood history. He won an Academy Award for the dazzling color photography of "To Catch a Thief" (1955) and received Oscar nominations for "Strangers on a Train" (1951), "Rear Window" (1954), and the Guy Green-directed "A Patch of Blue" (1965).

Williams, John J.
b. 1843 d. May 13, 1865
Civil War Union Army Soldier. A Private in the Union Army, he was killed at the Battle of Palmetto Ranch, Texas, on May 13 1865. He was the last man killed in the US Civil War.

Smalley, Henry Adam
b. February 28, 1834 d. May 13, 1888
Civil War Union Brevet Brigadier General. Graduated from the USMA in 1854. Served in the Civil War first as Colonel and commander of the 5th Vermont Volunteer Infantry, having been granted a leave of absence from the Regular Army. He commanded the unit until September 1862, when his leave was revoked, and he returned to the Regular service as a Captain in the 2nd United States Regular Artillery.

Semple, Robert
b. August 18, 1887 d. May 13, 1943
Mexican Vera Cruz Campaign Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient. He was a 28 year old Navy chief gunner when he earned his Medal. His citation reads "For meritorious service under fire on the occasion of the landing of American navel forces at Vera Cruz (Mexico) on 21 April 1914. C.G. Semple was then attached to the U.S.S. Florida as a chief turret captain." Retired as a Navy Lieutenant Commander, his other Navy awards include the Navy Cross.