James Michael Newell

James Michael Newell was a gold medaled WPA artist, best known for his fresco murals. He was born in Carnegie, Pennsylvania into a large Irish family. His birth name was James Erbin Newell but he changed it when becoming an artist. He had one child with his first wife, Emma Greaves. His daughter Patricia Ann Newell was born in 1927. His work was also part of the painting event in the art competition at the 1932 Summer Olympics.