author
Brand Whitlock
1869–1934
A reform-minded mayor, diplomat, and novelist, this American writer brought firsthand experience of politics and world affairs to his books. He is especially remembered for his public service in Toledo and for representing the United States in Belgium during World War I.
6 Audiobooks
The Gold Brick
by Brand Whitlock
The Turn of the Balance
by Brand Whitlock
The 13th District: A Story of a Candidate
by Brand Whitlock
Forty Years of It
by Brand Whitlock
Her Infinite Variety
by Brand Whitlock
The Happy Average
by Brand Whitlock
About the author
Born in Urbana, Ohio, in 1869, Brand Whitlock worked first as a journalist before training as a lawyer and moving into public life. He became a well-known reform figure in Toledo, where he served four terms as mayor on an independent ticket and built a reputation for progressive civic politics.
Alongside his political career, he wrote novels, essays, and memoirs. His best-known fiction includes The Turn of the Balance (1907), a novel arguing against capital punishment, and his writing often reflected his interest in justice, democracy, and social reform.
Whitlock later served as the American minister, and then ambassador, to Belgium during the First World War. That role made him an important witness to the crisis in occupied Belgium and inspired some of his best-known nonfiction, including Belgium: A Personal Narrative. He died in 1934 in Cannes, France.