Vladimir Aleksandrovich Dukelsky, also known as Vernon Duke,was a Russian-born American composer and songwriter. He studied composition at the Kiev Conservatory at a young age and emigrated to the United States in 1921 with his family after a period of displacement during the Russian Civil War. In New York, he met George Gershwin, who encouraged him to adopt the pen name Vernon Duke for his work in American popular music, while continuing to use his birth name for classical compositions. Duke also collaborated with lyricists including E. Y. Harburg, Ira Gershwin, Ogden Nash, John Latouche, Ted Fetter, Johnny Mercer, and Sammy Cahn. Alongside his Broadway and songwriting career, Dukelsky composed classical works including Dédicaces (1935–1937). Vernon Duke died on January 16, 1969, in Santa Monica, California.
