Wrote A Holly Jolly Christmas, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree, and other holiday standards.
He attended Colgate University and Columbia University and earned a Bronze Star and four Battle Stars in World War II.
He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1981.
He married Margaret May Marks and was the nephew of famed Manhattan businessman Marcus M. Marks.
His songs were hits for such artists as Gene Autry and Burl Ives.
