| [No Photo] |
|
Graham McNamee, Portrait of Graham McNamee by the noted illustrator John Knowles Hare (1884-1947), who did covers for Photoplay and other magazines.Graham McNamee (July 10, 1888 - May 9, 1942) was a pioneering broadcaster in American radio, the mediums most recognized national personality in its first international decade.Graham McNamees father John B. was an attorney, and his mother, Anne, was a homemaker, who also sang in a church choir. Born in Washington, D.C. and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota, McNamee had early aspirations of being an opera singer. In 1923, while serving jury duty in New York City, he passed the studios of radio station WEAF en route to the courthouse and, on a whim, went to see the station manager. He was given an audition and hired as a staff announcer on the spot.