Naceu en Kentland, Indiana en 1866 e morreu en Brook, Indiana en 1944. Despois de se graduar en 1887 comeza a traballar como reporteiro para o Lafayette Call. En 1890 entra no Chicago Morning News (máis tarde chamado Chicago Record) no que escribe a columna Stories of the Streets and of the Town, no que ilustra a vida de Chicago, o seu estilo humorístico axiña se fai popular.
Obras
Artie. A Story of the Streets and Town, 1896 Pink Marsh: a Story of the Streets and Town, 1897 Doc'Horne, 1899 Fables in Slang, 1900 More fables, 1900 Forty modern fables, 1901 Girl proposition, 1902 People you know, 1903 The Sultan of Sulu; an original satire in two acts, teatro, 1903 Breaking into society, 1904 The College Widow, teatro, 1904