Don Mellett

Biography

Don Mellett was born in 1891 and became a fearless journalist, rising to the editorship of the Indianapolis News. He used his editorial page to expose corruption, champion municipal reform, and demand accountability from police and elected officials, believing journalism had a duty to serve the public interest.

His relentless pursuit of truth cost him his life in 1926 when he was murdered while continuing to expose a web of graft, but the reforms that followed ensured his sacrifice pushed the city toward greater honesty. Crowds at Crown Hill Cemetery remember him as a courageous reporter whose moral clarity still inspires journalists today.