Lofting, Hugh (1886-1947), was the creator of Doctor Dolittle, a well-known character in children’s fiction. Lofting first wrote about the doctor in letters to his children during World War I, when he served in the British Army. When The Story of Doctor Dolittle was published in 1920, it was so popular that Lofting continued the adventures of Doctor Dolittle and his animal friends in The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle (1922). He received the Newbery Medal for this book in 1923. Lofting later wrote and illustrated 11 more Doctor Dolittle books.
Lofting was born on Jan. 14, 1886, in Maidenhead, England, of Irish descent. He spent most of his life in the United States. He studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and at the London Polytechnic, and traveled widely as a civil engineer. He died on Sept. 26, 1947.
