Don Mellett

Donald Ring Mellett (September 26, 1891 – July 16, 1926) was an American newspaper editor who was assassinated after confronting local organized crime in his newspaper.

Mellett was born in Elwood, Indiana,

An early investigation by the local police (of which the integrity was later questioned) turned up nothing, but some time later, Ora Slater, a detective from elsewhere, was successful in resolving the murder. As a result, four people, including not only Rudner, but the Canton police chief at the time, were sentenced to life imprisonment. The police chief was later acquitted.

The triggerman, Patrick Eugene McDermott, would receive a life sentence. He would later escape from prison and be #85 on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List.

Pulitzer Prize The year after Mellett's death, the Canton Daily News was rewarded with the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for their efforts in fighting corruption. The citation acknowledged Mellett's own personal sacrifice. However, after Mellett's death, the newspaper returned to decline, and only months after winning the Pulitzer Prize, was bought out by The Repository.

The plot of the film Freedom of the Press (1928) was based on Mellett's death. A teleplay about Mellett, titled "The Canton Story", was made in 1950. It appeared on October 13, 1950, in Pulitzer Prize Playhouse. The Don Mellett Memorial Lecture in Journalism is named in his honor, as is New York University's Don R. Mellett Prize. Mellett was inducted into the Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame in 1969. In 1976, the Mellett Historic Site in Journalism was created in Canton. Numerous books have also been written about his life, and an auditorium at Indiana University, his alma mater, was named after him. In addition, Mellett Mall (now Canton Centre) in Canton was formerly named for him.