Harold "Hecky" Jacob Rome (May 27, 1908 – October 26, 1993) was an American composer, lyricist, and writer for musical theater.
He was born in Hartford, Connecticut and graduated from Hartford Public High School. Originally, he chose to go to Trinity College, but transferred because he felt like a "townie". Rome played piano in local dance bands and was already writing music while studying architecture and law at Yale University. While at Yale, he also pledged to Tau Epsilon Phi. He graduated in 1929 with a Bachelor of Arts, and continued into Yale Law School.
After graduation, he worked as an architect in New York City, but continued to pursue his musical interests, arranging music for local bands and writing material for revues at Green Mansions, a Jewish summer resort in the Adirondacks. Much of the music Rome was writing at this time was socially conscious and of little interest to Tin Pan Alley.