Hugh Lofting

Biography

Hugh Lofting (1886–1947) was a British-born American author and illustrator, best known for creating Doctor Dolittle, one of the most beloved characters in children’s literature. Born in Maidenhead, England, he trained as an engineer and worked in Africa, Canada, and Cuba before serving in the British Army during World War I. The Doctor Dolittle stories originated in illustrated letters he sent to his children from the trenches. The Story of Doctor Dolittle (1920) introduced the eccentric physician who can talk to animals, and The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle (1922) won the Newbery Medal. Lofting became an American citizen in 1912.