Amelia Earhart (with George Palmer Putnam)

Earhart first met George Putnam (1887–1950) in 1928, prior to her transatlantic flight. Born into a prominent New York publishing family, Putnam made a name for himself as an Arctic explorer before returning to the publishing industry. He later recalled his first meeting with Earhart: "When she appeared at my office I was busy, so she had to cool her heels—and didn’t like it much." Invited by wealthy American expatriate Amy Guest to publicize the 1928 flight, Putnam helped to orchestrate it and the lecture tour that followed. The following year he divorced his wife and began a relationship with Earhart, who was ten years younger. Although she refused his marriage proposal on six different occasions, she ultimately agreed, and the two married in 1931. Putnam remained her chief publicist until her death.