Lyricist; born in Coblenz, Germany. His family settled in Chicago in 1891, where he began to write lyrics. From his first published song in 1906 until his death, he collaborated on many hit songs with such composers as Egbert Van Alstyne, Walter Donaldson and Isham Jones for Broadway, Hollywood, and big-name performers. He and Donaldson wrote the score for the popular Broadway show Whoopee (1928), starring Eddie Cantor.