An American writer and author, born in Portland, Oregon, USA, he was educated in local schools in Washington and Oregon, then joined the United States Army in 1915, and was stationed on the Mexican border, and during World War I he was in Europe, and after the war he spent one year at Reed College in Portland, and graduated from Oregon State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism, during the thirties and forties of the twentieth century, and his story (Stage to Lordsburg) which he wrote in 1937 was turned into a film entitled (Stagecoach) in 1939 directed by (John Ford), and starring (John Wayne), while the novel (Trouble Shooter) in 1936 was the basis for the film (Union Pacific) in 1939 directed by (Cecil B. DeMille), and starring (Barbara Stanwyck), and (Joel McCrea). He also wrote the screenplay for the 1950 film Montana, directed by Ray Enright and starring Alexis Smith and Errol Flynn.