Theodor Seuss Geisel

From Philosopedia

Theodor Seuss Geisel [Dr. Seuss] (2 March 1904 - 24 September 1991)

Dr. Seuss, Geisel's pseudonym along with Theo LeSieg (his name spelled backwards) and Rosetta Stone, was a writer and illustrator of children's books.

Geisel was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, the son of Henrietta Seuss and Theodor P. Geisel. After studying at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, he did postgraduate work at Oxford and the Sorbonne, working as an illustrator and humorist for United States periodicals, then becoming a writer and animator in Hollywood, where he settled in La Jolla, California. He never earned a doctorate.

In 1927 he married Helen Palmer, whom he had met at Oxford. After her death in 1967, he married Audrey Stone Diamond in 1968.

During World War II, Geisel was sent to Hollywood, writing for Frank Capra's Signal Corps Unit and completing documentaries - promoted to major, he won Oscars for Hitler Lives and Design for Death.

He wrote the screenplay for Gerald McBoing Boing (1950), an award-winning animated cartoon.

He wrote a series of "Beginner Books" that started with The Cat in the Hat (1957) and Yertle the Trtle (1958.

By 1970, 30,000,000 copies had been sold in the United States, his name becoming synonymous with learning to read.

Books for adults included You're Only Old Once! (1986) and Oh, the Places You'll Go! (1990).

Geisel's honors included two Academy awards, two Emmy awards, a Peabody award, and the Pulitzer Prize,

Geisel pronounced Seuss as if it rhymed with voice, but most pronounce it in English with an "s" sound and rhyming with "juice."

In his final days, he suffered from an infection of his jawbone, dying in his sleep.

Geisel was not affiliated with any of the many religious denominations.