Harold Verne Keith was a Newbery Medal-winning American writer. Born on April 8, 1903, and passing away on February 24, 1998, he lived his entire life in Oklahoma, a state that he greatly loved and which served as the setting for many of his sixteen published books.

His most renowned work, the historical novel "Rifles for Watie", was first released in 1957. This novel went on to win the prestigious 1958 John Newbery Medal and the 1964 Lewis Carroll Shelf Award.

Harold Keith passed away from congestive heart failure in Norman, Oklahoma.