WILLIAMS, JESSE LYNCH

(1871-1929)

Born in Sterling, Illinois, the playwright attended Princeton University. He was first a short story writer and newspaperman, then attained fame as author of the first play to win a Pulitzer Prize,Why Marry? (1917). Williams's first play,The Stolen Story(1906), had flopped, and his post-Pulitzer work in theatre was comparatively undistinguished, includingWhy Not? (1922). Williams's last play,Lovely Lady(1925), failed, but he authored several successful novels.