This Month in Missouri History

Famous births of people, a company
and a college

November is the month when many famous people from St. Louis history were born. But, it was also the month for the start of a famous company and educational institution.

Among the famous individuals were sports stars Stan Musial and Bob Gibson, entertainers Jane Froman and silent film star King Bagott and author Mark Twain.

The now-famous company started was Monsanto and the educational institution was Saint Louis University.

Each month, Young Saint Louis.com brings together information about the people and activities that shaped the area's colorful past. (For more, go to the Missouri History Museum's webside at www.mohistory.org.)

Stan Musial

Stan Musial

Stan Musial was born on Nov. 21, 1920, in Donora, PA. He went on to become the most famous of the St. Louis Cardinal baseball players.

He made the major league all-star team 10 times during a 22-year career with the Cardinals. After he retired from playing, he was the general manager and the executive vice-president for the team.

His nickname, Stan The Man, came after a sports writer heard a Brooklyn Dodger fan lament when Musial came to bat, "Here comes The Man again." Musial made a habit of pummeling Dodger pitching.

St. Louis sports writer Bob Broeg began using "The Man" term when writing about Musial's exploits.

Bob Gibson

Bob Gibson

Probably the best Cardinal pitcher ever was Bob Gibson, who was born in Nov. 9, 1935, in Omaha, NE.

He was so good that he is given "credit" for causing major league baseball officials to order the lowering of the pitcher's mound after he posted a 1.12 earned run average in 1968.

During that season, he won the Cy Young award as the best pitcher in baseball after he went 22-9 with 28 complete games, in addition to the 1.12 ERA.

The major league officials said the higher pitching mound gave hurlers like Gibson too much of an advantage because they were throwing too much downhill. Even today, the pitching mound continues at the reduced height.

Joe Medwick

Joe Medwick

Another famous Cardinal who got major league officials' attention was outfielder Joe Medwick. He was born on Nov. 29, 1911, in Carteret, N.J.

Medwick was a member of Cardinals teams that got the nickname of the "Gashouse Gang" for their aggressive play in the field.

In one incident in the World Series of 1934, Medwick was removed from a game with the Detroit Tigers after making a very hard slide into third base. When Medwick went out for the next inning, Detroit fans started throwing bottles and other debris at him in left field.

The Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis ordered Medwick off the field. His reasoning, he was trying to protect Medwick from serious injury if he were hit by a thrown object.

Medwick was a Cardinal from 1932 through 1948 and is in the Baseball Hall of Fame. His lifetime batting average was .324.

Singer Jane Froman

Jane Froman

One of the most popular singers in the 1930s and 40s was Jane Froman, who was born in University City on Nov. 10,1907.

In 1937, at age 27, she was named in a poll as the top singer in the country. When asked how he would rank Froman in a list of the top 10 singers, composer and showman Billy Rose said, "Jane Froman and nine others."

But, her fame went even higher during World War II. She was seriously injured in a plane crash while on a USO tour to entertain the troops. She underwent 39 operations but went on to do 95 USO tours while on crutches.

Her life was the subject of a 1952 movie, "With a Song in My Heart."

Photographer Walker Evans

One of the most famous early photographers in the country was Walker Evans, who was born in St. Louis on Nov. 3, 1903.

Photograph by Walker Evans

His stark style was in contrast with the fancy portraits and flowery nature scenes of commercial photographers. But, his style fit in well with the bleak times of the Great Depression.

In his book, "Let's Now Praise Famous Men," the photo subjects were primarily tenant farmers of the South.

In 1938, the Museum of Modern Art staged what was the first solo showing for an American photographer.

Film star King Bagott

King Bagott

During much of the silent film era, actors and actresses played parts without getting much notoriety. That began changing when King Bagott went to Hollywood.

Bagott was born Nov. 7, 1879. He made it to Hollywood in the early 1900s and became one of the first stars of the silent screen.

He did more than just appear in the films. In 1914, Bagott not only directed the film, "Shadows" but he played 10 different roles.

In all, he appeared in 300 films and has his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His 2002 biography has the title, "King Bagott, A Biography and Filmography of the First King of the Movies."

Mark Twain

Mark Twain

Samel Langhorne Clemens was born in Florida, MO, on Nov. 30, 1835. At age 4, he and his family moved to nearby Hannibal, MO, which claims him as a native son.

He finished his formal education at age 12. But, as Mark Twain, he obviously continued to learn and explore.

He had early careers as a printer, newspaper editor, journalist, licensed riverboat pilot and even as a Confederate soldier. But, the military life didn't suit him and he soon deserted and fled to the West.

While out west, he tried his hand at mining.

But, he's known more for his writing, especially "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." He lived and wrote for years in Europe and became well-known throughout the world.

The Monsanto Company

John Queeny started the Monsanto Company on Nov. 29, 1901. He was at that time a purchasing agent for the Meyer Brothers Drug Co. in St. Louis.

Many of the medicines that Queeny purchased were manufactured in Europe. There were few U.S. drug manufacturers at that time. He started Monsanto to be a local manufacturer and supplier of drugs for Midwest drug stores.

Of course, today, Monsanto is a giant company with a wide range of products, particularly in the area of agriculture.

Queeny started his company with $1,500 of his own money and $30,000 borrowed from friends and family.

The company was named after his wife, Olga Melendez Monsanto Queeny.

There are a number of locations in the St. Louis area named after Queeny. One of the more notable is Queeny Park, now one of the parks in the St. Louis County system.

Saint Louis University

Saint Louis University traces its history back to Nov. 16, 1818. That was the day that Bishop du Bourg started St. Louis Academy in a private home in St. Louis.

It closed for a time in 1827 and was reorganized by Bishop Rosati in 1829 with Jesuits as teachers.

It received a charter from the state of Missouri in 1832 and was renamed Saint Louis University. SLU is the oldest higher education institution west of the Mississippi River.

Abolitionist Elijah Paris Popejoy

Elijah Paris Popejoy was born in Nov. 9, 1802.

He was hired by a group of supporters to start an anti-slave newspaper in St. Louis called the St. Louis Observer.

It wasn't long before he was in trouble and relocated the newspaper across the Mississippi River in Alton, IL. But, trouble followed him and he was killed on Nov. 7, 1837, when a mob attacked his newspaper office.