Arnold Haultain

Born in Cannanore, India, on November 3, 1857, Theodore Arnold Haultain was a British writer whose life and work stretched across Britain and Canada. He was the son of Major General Francis Mitchell Haultain and Isabella Thomas, and he is best remembered today for a varied body of essays and books.

Haultain spent many years in Toronto as secretary to Goldwin Smith. After Smith’s death, he became his literary executor and wrote Goldwin Smith, His Life and Opinions, along with editing A Selection from Goldwin Smith's Correspondence. That close connection to Smith placed him near an important literary and intellectual circle, but Haultain’s own writing had a lighter, more conversational flavor.

His books ranged widely in subject, including Hints for Lovers, Two Country Walks in Canada, and the well-known The Mystery of Golf. That mix of reflective prose, humor, and curiosity helped make him the kind of author who could turn everyday pleasures into thoughtful reading. He died on June 11, 1941, in Westmoreland.