Walter R. Brooks

Walter R. Brooks (January 9, 1886 - August 17,

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January 9 - 1886 - August 17

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1958) was an American writer best remembered for his short stories

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and children's books, particularly those about Freddy the Pig and other

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anthropomorphic animal inhabitants of the "Bean farm" in upstate New York.

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Born in Rome, New York, Brooks attended college at the

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Rome - New York

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University of Rochester and subsequently studied homeopathic

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medicine in New York City. He dropped out after two years however,

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and returned to Rochester where he married his first wife, Anne

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Shepard, in 1909. Brooks found employment with an advertising agency

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in Utica, then "retired" in 1911, evidently because he came into

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a considerable inheritance. His retirement was not permanent:

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in 1917 he went to work for the American Red Cross and later did

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editorial work for several magazines, including The New Yorker. In 1940 Brooks turned to his own writing for his full time

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occupation. Walter married his second wife, Dorothy Collins, following

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the death of Anne in 1952.

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The first works Brooks published were poems and short stories. His

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short story "Ed Takes the Pledge" about a talking horse was the basis

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for the 1960s television comedy series Mister Ed (credit for

Related Topics:
1960 - Mister Ed

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creating the characters is given in each episode to "Walter Brooks").

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His most enduring works, however, are the 26 books he

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wrote about Freddy the Pig and his friends.

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