Milton Ager was a composer and songwriter born on October 6, 1893, in Chicago, Illinois. He was one of the leading Tin Pan Alley tunesmiths of the 1920s, producing dozens of songs that became popular hits and enduring standards. His most celebrated compositions include "Ain't She Sweet" and "Happy Days Are Here Again," both written with his primary lyricist Jack Yellen, with whom he co-founded the publishing firm Ager, Yellen and Bornstein in 1922. "Happy Days Are Here Again" became the unofficial anthem of the Democratic Party and one of the most recognized American popular songs of the twentieth century. Ager's other well-known works include "Hard Hearted Hannah," "I'm Nobody's Baby," "Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now)," and "Glad Rag Doll." "Only a Moment Ago" is among his contributions to the Great American Songbook. He also wrote for Broadway and early Hollywood films. Ager died on May 6, 1979, in Inglewood, California.
