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Famous Residents Hannibal native, William Henry Hatch was a very prominent Democrat in Missouri politics. Hatch served as a United States Representative from 1879 to 1895. He was devoted to agriculture legislation and instrumental in passing legislation that established the cabinet position of Secretary of Agriculture. Hatch is remembered with a memorial statue in Hannibal's Central Park. Margaret Tobin Brown, best known as the Titanic's Unsinkable Molly Brown, was born in Hannibal on July 18, 1867. She received a grammar school education and took her first job at the tobacco factory by age 13. In search of a better life, Margaret moved to Leadville, Colorado where she met her husband, J. J. Brown, a mining engineer. In 1893 J. J. struck it big and the Browns became millionaires. With their new wealth Margaret moved the family into a mansion, bettered her education, and became a travel writer for the Denver Times. Her legendary Titanic trip brought her a wealth of fame and recognition. She not only survived the disaster, Margaret helped organize relief efforts and raise money for the victims. She spent the remainder of her life traveling, supporting charities, and even ran for the Senate in 1914. Brown died October 25, 1932, at the age of 65. Samuel Clemens, the greatest humorist of 19th Century American literature, was born in Florida, Missouri, on November 30, 1835. Four years later the Clemens family moved to Hannibal where Clemens would spend his childhood. He left Hannibal in 1853 and did a variety of work from riverboat piloting to gold mining. Clemens took the pen name Mark Twain and began writing for various newspapers. He finally settled down in Hartford, Connecticut, and continued writing, publishing more than 30 literary works. His novels, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, reveal the influence Hannibal had on Clemens. He died on April 21, 1910, and is still considered an American icon, one of our most celebrated writers. QuincyNet Home Copyright© 2002, 2003 by QuincyNet, a division of HCW Ltd. All Rights Reserved