Walter R. Brooks

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Walter R. Brooks was born in Rome, New York, in 1886. His father died when he was four, and his mother died eleven years later. Walter was sent to a Military Academy for two years, before going to live with his sister, Elsie, and her husband. He attended the University of Rochester from 1904-1906, then going on to study homeopathic medicine at the Homeopathic Medical College and Flower Hospital in New York. He dropped out of medical school, however, and returned to Rochester in 1908, where he married Anne Shephard.

Walter worked for an advertising agency for a couple of years, after which he spent ten years as a publicist for the American Red Cross. He became associate editor of 'The Outlook and Independent' magazine and later was a staff writer for several magazines including the 'New Yorker'. The short stories he began writing at this time were published in 'The Saturday Evening Post', 'Atlantic Monthly' and 'Esquire'. Brooks' short story, 'Ed Takes the Pledge' was the basis for the 1950s television series about a talking horse called Mr. Ed. Brooks' most enduring w

Nationality: American