Clarence Edward Mulford

Born in 1883 and active in the first half of the twentieth century, Clarence Edward Mulford was an American author remembered chiefly for his Western fiction. He created Hopalong Cassidy, one of the most enduring cowboy characters in popular culture, and built much of his reputation on novels and stories set around the Bar-20 ranch.

Mulford's version of Hopalong Cassidy was rougher and more colorful than the cleaner screen image that later became famous. That contrast is part of what makes his work interesting today: the books show the character in his original form and reflect the lively, fast-moving style that made early Western fiction so popular with readers.

He died in 1956. Even now, his name is closely tied to the rise of the modern Western hero, and his stories remain a key part of Hopalong Cassidy's long afterlife in books, film, and radio.