An author of popular fiction set in the American West, he is best known for his 1902 novel, The Virginian, which established the Cowboy as the archetypical American folk hero. His other works include Lady Baltimore (novel),
He briefly studied music in Paris before matriculating at Harvard Law School in the 1880s. He published his first novel, The Dragon of Wantley: His Tale, in 1892.
His best-known work, The Virginian, established not only the Cowboy archetype (a loner with a strong moral code), but also such Western genre staples as the heroine in need of saving and the climactic gun-battle showdown.
He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to a physician father. He had six children with his cousin and wife, Mary Channing.
Cecil B. DeMille directed the first screen adaptation of his novel, The Virginian, in 1914.
