Dan Emmett

Dan Emmett
Portrait of Emmett in 1895
Birth nameDaniel Decatur Emmett
BornOctober 29, 1815
DiedJune 28, 1904(1904-06-28) (aged 88)
Mount Vernon, Ohio, U.S.
AllegianceUnited States
BranchUnited States Army
Service years1834–1835
AwardsSongwriters Hall of Fame (1970)
Spouses
Catharine Rives
(m. 1853; died 1875)
Mary Bird
(m. 1879)
Other workSongwriter

Daniel Decatur Emmett (October 29, 1815 – June 28, 1904) was an American composer, entertainer, and founder of the first troupe of the blackface minstrel tradition, the Virginia Minstrels. He is most remembered as the composer of the song "Dixie".