Lillian Russell, born Nellie Leonard in Clinton, Iowa in 1861, was a famous comic opera actress in New York city. She made her stage debut in "Time Tries All" in Chicago in 1877 before moving to New York in 1879 and continuing her career in musicals, burlesque and dramatic shows. Near the end of her life, she was appointed as a special investigator to study immigration conditions by President Harding. She presented a report to the United States Department of Labor that suggested an "immigration holiday" of 5 years, the sifting of immigrants on the other side, and 21 years residence in the US before naturalization. See "Lillian Russell Dies of Injuries", The New York Times, June 6, 1922, pp. 1-2. Retrieved on December 15, 2010.