Hugh Lofting
Hugh Lofting was an English author and civil engineer, best known for creating the beloved children's character Doctor Doolittle. Born on January 14, 1886, in Maidenhead, Berkshire, Lofting developed an early love for animals and storytelling. He pursued engineering studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and London Polytechnic, eventually working in various global locations, including Africa and Cuba. His views on heroism changed during World War I, leading him to write letters to his children featuring whimsical stories about Doctor Doolittle, who uniquely communicated with animals.
Lofting’s first book, *The Story of Doctor Doolittle*, was published in 1920 and became a significant success, establishing him as a prominent children's author. Over the years, he published several sequels, gaining recognition for his imaginative tales that promoted themes of internationalism and empathy. Despite experiencing personal tragedies, including the loss of his wives, Lofting continued to write until his health declined. He passed away on September 27, 1947, in Santa Monica, California. Lofting's work has had a lasting impact on children's literature, although some of his writings include elements that reflect the racial attitudes of his time.
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Hugh Lofting
Author
- Born: January 14, 1886
- Birthplace: Maidenhead, Berkshire, England
- Died: September 27, 1947
- Place of death: Santa Monica, California
Biography
Hugh John Lofting was born on January 14, 1886, in Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, one of six children. His father, John Brien Lofting, was Irish, and his mother, Elizabeth Agnes Lofting, was English. As a young child, Lofting developed a love of animals and an ability to write. When he was eight years old, he was sent to a boarding school, Mount St. Mary, and had little contact with his family after he arrived. In 1904, he began studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and he completed his formal education at London Polytechnic in 1907. He then worked as a civil engineer, posted to Africa and the West Indies, and prospected for gold in Canada. From 1910 to 1912, he was an engineer for the Lagos Railway in what is now Nigeria and for the United Railways of Havana, Cuba. Lofting never enjoyed his engineering work.
After he married Flora Small, an American, in 1912, he moved to the United States and settled there. The couple had two children, Elizabeth and Colin. In 1916 and 1917, during World War I, Lofting served in the Irish Guards in France and Flanders. As the father of two young children, he began to see that raising children to idolize heroes who were not military figures might lead to international cooperation and peace. Lofting had been sending letters home to his children, often in the form of illustrated stories. He developed a character, Doctor Doolittle, who gave up his medical practice treating humans to concentrate on treating animals instead. To succeed in this work, Doolittle had to learn the languages and customs of the different animal families, an intentional lesson in the values of internationalism.
Lofting was wounded in 1917 and returned home, where he continued writing Doctor Doolittle stories for his children. With his wife’s encouragement, he turned the collection of stories into a book, The Story of Doctor Doolittle: Being the History of His Peculiar Life at Home and Astonishing Adventures in Foreign Parts. The book was published in 1920 and was an immediate popular and critical success, allowing Lofting to support his family by writing children’s books. From 1922 until 1936, he published nine other Doctor Doolittle books.
His wife, Flora, died in 1927, and Lofting married Katherine Harrower-Peters in 1928, but she died only a few months later. In 1935, he married Josephine Fricker, with whom he had a third child, Christopher. The family lived in Topanga, California. As World War II approached, Lofting’s physical and mental health began to decline. On September 27, 1947, Lofting died in Santa Monica, California.
His book The Voyages of Doctor Doolittle won the Newbery Medal. A number of other books about Doctor Doolittle were published after Lofting’s death, and two films about the animal doctor were released in 1967 and 1998. Doctor Doolittle himself has remained one of the most beloved characters in children’s literature, although several of the books contain elements that are racist by twenty-first century standards.