James M. Cain collection

James Mallahan Cain (1892-1977) was born July 1st in Annapolis, Maryland to Rose Mallahan Cain and James William Cain (1860-1938) a professor at St. John’s College. His father had served as President of Washington College from 1903-1918 and James graduated with the class of 1910. At first, he was unsure of his career path, he moved to Baltimore and was a principal at a school in Vienna, MD. In 1914 he taught English at Washington College and earned a master’s in Drama. He moved to Washington D.C. with the hopes of becoming a singer. While there he sold insurance but never sold a single policy. Cain finally committed to writing starting in journalism and then contributing to The American Mercury. His first novel, and one of his most famous, The Postman Always Rings Twice was published in 1934. Many of his works were adapted for the screen. Cain married four times, his first marriage was in 1919 to Mary Clough, then Elina Sjösted Tyszecka, and in 1944 he married Aileen Pringle. His last marriage to Florence Macbeth lasted until she passed in 1966. Cain continued his relationship with Washington College throughout his later life. He died on October 27, 1977, in Maryland.