Mildred Benson
Mildred Wirt Benson | |
|---|---|
Benson in the late 1990s | |
| Born | Mildred Augustine July 10, 1905 Ladora, Iowa, United States |
| Died | May 28, 2002 (aged 96) Toledo, Ohio, United States |
| Pen name | Carolyn Keene Alice B. Emerson Frances K. Judd Joan Clark |
| Occupation | Writer Journalist |
| Alma mater | University of Iowa |
| Genre | Children's fiction Mystery |
| Years active | 1925–2002 |
| Notable works | Nancy Drew |
| Notable awards | Agatha Award |
| Spouses | Asa A. Wirt
(m. 1928; died 1947)George Benson
(m. 1950; died 1959) |
| Children | 1 |
Mildred Augustine Wirt Benson (July 10, 1905 – May 28, 2002) was an American journalist and writer of children's books. She wrote some of the earliest Nancy Drew mysteries and created the detective's adventurous personality. Benson wrote under the Stratemeyer Syndicate pen name, Carolyn Keene, from 1929 to 1953 and contributed to 23 of the first 30 Nancy Drew mysteries, which were bestsellers.