The Resume

(August 14, 1863-August 21, 1940)
Born in Lawrence, Massachusetts
Humor columnist for the 'San Francisco Examiner'(1886-88)
For his last column, wrote 'Casey at the Bat' (June 3, 1888)

Why he might be annoying:

He got a job at the Examiner because he had befriended publisher William Randolph Hearst when they were students at Harvard.
He wrote his column under a pen name, so his authorship of 'Casey' was disputed.
He frequently expressed frustration at being remembered only for 'Casey.'
Actor DeWolf Hopper, who made a career out of reciting the poem on the vaudeville stage, said, 'Thayer indubitably wrote 'Casey,' but he could not recite it....In a sweet, dulcet Harvard whisper he implored 'Casey' to murder the umpire, and gave this cry of mass animal rage all the emphasis of a caterpillar wearing rubbers crawling on a velvet carpet. He was rotten.'

Why he might not be annoying:

At Harvard, he was editor of the Lampoon and a member of the Hasty Pudding theater club.
He earned $5 for writing 'Casey,' never earning royalties from its frequent reprints or its recitations.
In 'Casey' he created an enduring icon of American folklore.

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• 19th Century Poets
• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 54]
• I Attended Harvard
• I Died in 1940 (Ranked: 77)
• Newspaper Journalists/Editors/Publishers
• Phi Beta Kappa Fraternity
• Poets
• Profiles 35501-35750 (Ranked: 35747)
• Walt Disney Turned My Book Into a Movie
• We Died on the Same Day (Ranked: 19400821)

Year In Review:

In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 8 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2020, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2019, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2018, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2017, Out of 5 Votes: 80.0% Annoying
In 2016, Out of 5 Votes: 80.0% Annoying
In 2015, Out of 5 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
In 2014, Out of 13 Votes: 61.54% Annoying