Vaughan Kester

Born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, Vaughan Kester was an American novelist and journalist whose work drew on life in different parts of the United States. He was also the elder brother of dramatist and author Paul Kester, and his writing was influenced in part by family ties to the novelist and critic William Dean Howells.

Before and during his fiction career, he worked in journalism and contributed to periodicals and syndicates. His stories are often noted for their lively pace and for settings shaped by his travels through the western and southern U.S.

Kester died in 1911 at only 41 years old, the same year The Prodigal Judge was published. The novel became a major success, and his work continued to be read after his death, with several titles later adapted for film.