Jean Lee Latham was an esteemed American writer, born on April 19, 1902, in Buckhannon, West Virginia. She is renowned for her biographies aimed at children and young adults. Latham pursued her higher education at West Virginia Wesleyan College, where she engaged in writing plays and working with the county newspaper’s linotype machine. She furthered her education by obtaining a master’s degree from Cornell University.

During her time at Cornell, she taught English, history, and drama in Ithaca. After graduating, she undertook the role of editor-in-chief at the Dramatic Publishing Company in Chicago. Latham initially aspired to be a radio writer but her career path took a turn due to World War II. She joined the US Signal Corps Inspection Agency, where she took on the significant responsibility of training women inspectors. For her outstanding contributions, she was awarded the Silver Wreath by the U.S. War Department.

Following the events of D-Day, Latham dedicated herself to writing biographies for young readers, with her first book being The.