Herbert L. Coggins facts for kids

Herbert Leonard Coggins (1881–1974) was an American writer and editor. He wrote funny stories for magazines like The Atlantic Monthly. He also wrote several books for children. Besides writing, he gave talks about birds (ornithology). He even ran for political jobs in California as a Socialist. His first wife was an architect named Leola Hall.

Growing Up and Discovering Birds

Herbert Leonard Coggins, often called "Curly," was born on May 31, 1881. He grew up in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. His father was a lawyer who also wrote stories for magazines. His mother was involved in the women's suffrage movement, which worked for women's right to vote. Herbert had one brother and three sisters. His grandfather was a newspaper editor and politician. His great-uncle, Passmore Williamson, was an abolitionist, meaning he worked to end slavery.

When Coggins was in high school, he met Witmer Stone. Stone was an expert on birds (an ornithologist) at the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences. This meeting made Coggins very interested in birds. He joined the Audubon Society when he was 16. He learned a lot about birds by going on trips with bird-watching clubs.

He later joined the Academy of Natural Sciences. He also served as a secretary for the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club. Later, he became president of the Cooper Ornithological Club on the West Coast. In 1900, Coggins worked as an assistant teacher for a bird course in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. He also briefly studied bookkeeping in Philadelphia.

Working as a Magazine Editor

Coggins's first job was as an errand boy. Later, he read manuscripts for Penn Publishing Company. This company published popular children's books, like the Horatio Alger and Betty Wales series. Around 1900, Coggins was put in charge of a children's magazine called Youth. This magazine published poems, short stories, and parts of books. Famous writers like Sinclair Lewis and Lucy Maud Montgomery had early works published there.

After a few years, Coggins moved to San Francisco, California. This was shortly after the big 1906 earthquake. He got a job with Whitaker and Ray, a company that sold educational books and school supplies. As the editor, he managed projects like publishing lectures given by Theodore Roosevelt. He left this company around 1912 because it was not doing well financially.

Lectures and Writing Career

Soon after moving to California, Coggins started giving talks about birds. He continued these talks throughout his life. For one series of lectures, he spoke about "economic ornithology." This topic looked at how birds are valuable to human culture. He also wrote for Cassinia, a journal about birds.

Coggins had a great sense of humor. His friend Witmer Stone said that Coggins could always find the funny side of things. Coggins wrote for popular magazines like The Atlantic Monthly, Collier's, and Vogue. Some of his funny articles for The Atlantic Monthly included tips on "how to catch burglars" and "how to enjoy paying taxes."

For Collier's magazine, he started a funny series with animal characters. One story about a beaver became a children's book called Busby & Co. (1952). Coggins wrote other books for children too, such as I Am a Mouse (1959).

Running for Political Office

In 1913, and again a few years later, Coggins ran for mayor of Berkeley, California. He ran as a candidate for the Socialist Party of America. He lost both times.

In 1917, he also ran for a seat on the Berkeley City Council as a Socialist. He was not successful in this election either.

In 1924, he ran for a California seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was a Socialist candidate. He received only 8% of the votes. The election was won by Republican Albert E. Carter.

Other Businesses and Personal Life

On June 11, 1912, Coggins married Leola Hall, an architect from the East Bay area. They lived in a house she built for them, which was called "Honeymoon House." Coggins first took over his father-in-law's cement contracting company. He ran it with Leola.

Around 1914, when the building boom after the earthquake slowed down, he bought a stationery store and engraving business in Oakland. In the 1920s, he became a director and later president of Patterson Parts. This was an auto parts company in San Francisco. He held this job for many decades.

Leola died in 1930. Some years later, Coggins married his second wife, Elsie Shirpser. Elsie had been his assistant many years earlier. Herbert Coggins died in December 1974, one year after his second wife.

Books

• I Am a Mouse (1959; illustrations by Judith Brook)
• Busby & Co. (1952)
• Choosing a Reason for War (1941)
• Home Games (1938=9)
• Stories Worth Telling (1909)
• Knick Knacks (1906; illustrated by Clare Victor Dwiggins)