author

William Horton Foster

An early 20th-century writer on speech and argument, he is best known for a practical guide that helped young readers learn the basics of debating and public speaking. His work reflects a hands-on, encouraging approach to clear thinking and confident expression.

1 Audiobook

Debating for boys

Debating for boys

by William Horton Foster

About the author

Very little biographical information about William Horton Foster was readily confirmed in the sources reviewed, but his published work shows a strong interest in teaching young people how to speak and argue effectively.

He is known for Debating for Boys, published in 1915 by Sturgis & Walton Company. Library and archive records describe it as a book on debates and debating, and note that it was reprinted in part from The Youth's Companion and Boys' Life, suggesting that his writing was connected to popular educational or youth-oriented magazines of the time.

Although a fuller personal profile remains hard to verify, Foster's surviving work gives a clear sense of his aim: to make public speaking and debate feel approachable, useful, and learnable for beginners.