Emerson Hough
(June 28, 1857 – April 30, 1923) was an American author best known for writing western stories and historical novels. His early works included Singing Mouse Stories and Story of the Cowboy. He was well known for his 1902 historical novel The Mississippi Bubble. Many of his works have been adapted into films and serial films.He married Charlotte Chesebro of Chicago in 1897 and made that city his home. During World War I, he served as a captain with the Intelligence Service.[27] He died in Evanston, Illinois, on April 30, 1923, a week after seeing the Chicago premiere of the movie The Covered Wagon, based on his 1922 book. Covered Wagon was his biggest best-selling novel since Mississippi Bubble in 1902. North of 36, another Hough novel, later became a popular silent film as well, “making him one of the first Western authors to enter into the motion picture industry.” He is buried in Galesburg, Illinois.
Asked in 1918 to provide some details of his own life, he replied in the context of World War I: “This is no time for autobiography of men of letters. This is the day of biography for men who have been privileged to act in the great scenes of today. It is the time for boys of 23. At least we can bless them and back them the best we know. I will not tell about myself. It is of no consequence.” Hough died in Evanston on April 30, 1923.
