John Habberton

Born in Brooklyn in 1842, John Habberton was an American author and journalist who spent much of his early life in Illinois after his father's death. He served in the Civil War, then worked for Harper & Brothers before building a long career in New York journalism.

Habberton is most closely associated with Helen's Babies (1876), a humorous novel about the trials of looking after unruly children. The book was a major success and made his name widely known. He also wrote fiction and sketches drawing on western and California settings, showing a mix of sentiment, comedy, and sharp observation.

Alongside his work as an author, he spent many years as a literary and drama critic for the New York Herald. He died in 1921, but he remains remembered chiefly for the warm, comic energy of his best-loved book.