Jean N. (Jean Newton) McIlwraith

Born in Hamilton, Canada West, Jean Newton McIlwraith grew up in a family with strong intellectual interests; her father, Thomas McIlwraith, was a noted ornithologist. She studied at Wesleyan Ladies College and later pursued modern literature through correspondence work with Queen Margaret College of the University of Glasgow.

McIlwraith built a varied writing career as a novelist and biographer. Her books included historical romances such as The Span o' Life, The Curious Career of Roderick Campbell, A Diana of Quebec, and Kinsmen at War. She also wrote children's books, published short stories in magazines including Harper's, Atlantic Monthly, and Cornhill Magazine, and co-authored the comic opera Ptarmigan.

From 1902 to 1919, she worked in New York City for publishing companies and became head reader at Doubleday, Page and Co. After returning to Canada in 1919, she focused on writing, including the well-regarded biography Sir Frederick Haldimand for the Makers of Canada series. She died in Burlington, Ontario, in 1938.