W. R. H. (William Rutherford Hayes) Trowbridge

Born in Bridgetown, Barbados, on May 19, 1866, William Rutherford Hayes Trowbridge was the son of William Rutherford Hayes Trowbridge and Isabella Nesbit Trowbridge. He graduated from Yale in 1887, and early in adult life was connected with his family's West Indies business interests before turning toward military service and writing.

Sources about him describe a varied career: he served as a British infantry officer before resigning in 1907, and he later became known as an author of biography, history, fiction, and travel-related writing. He published books such as Cagliostro, Seven Splendid Sinners, and a study of Queen Alexandra, often focusing on dramatic personalities and the social worlds around them.

Trowbridge spent much of his life in Europe and died in Marylebone, London, on August 7, 1938. Though not widely remembered today, he left behind a body of work drawn to intrigue, reputation, and the theatrical side of real lives.