Alexander Woollcott, Hamilton class of 1909, is buried on the Hill
The drama critic and radio voice graduated from Hamilton and asked to be buried there. His ashes arrived with 67 cents postage due.
By Hannah Mohr
Alexander Woollcott was born on Jan. 19, 1887, the youngest of five children, and got through college with the help of a family friend. He graduated from Hamilton College in 1909.
He went on to become one of the best-known critics in New York. He was drama critic for The New York Times from 1914 to 1922, with a break for World War I service, and later wrote for The New York Herald. His prose could be harsh enough that some Broadway theaters banned him for a time. From 1929 to 1934 he wrote the “Shouts and Murmurs” column for The New Yorker, and he was a member of the Algonquin Round Table. He also acted, wrote plays and became a popular radio personality.
His 1934 collection “While Rome Burns” was a bestseller.
Woollcott died on Jan. 23, 1943, and was buried at Hamilton. Getting him there took some doing. His ashes were first sent to the wrong place, and when they were forwarded to the college they arrived with 67 cents postage due.