Author Profile: James Thurber

Full Name: James Grover Thurber

Born: December 8, 1894, in Columbus, Ohio

Died: November 2, 1961, in New York City

Wrote: "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty"

Blinded in one eye at a young age, Thurber nonetheless became a cartoonist and writer. He began his writing career writing for The Lantern, a college paper of Ohio State University, though he was unable to graduate because of not completing a mandatory ROTC course. He later wrote for The Columbus Dispatch and the Chicago Tribune. He is known for his quirky humor and wit, which were often likely inspired by his mother's jokes and jolliness throughout his childhood.