Burgess, Gelett (1866-1951), was an American writer and illustrator. He became known for such nonsense verses as “The Purple Cow.” His “Goops” poems depicted horrid children misbehaving and were popularly used to teach good manners. Burgess cleverly coined new words and meanings in Burgess Unabridged (1914). He wrote more than 30 books of humorous verse, satire, essays, and short stories.
Frank Gelett Burgess was born on Jan. 30, 1866, in Boston. He died on Sept. 18, 1951.
