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Theodor Seuss Geisel

Also Known As: "Theodore"
Birthdate:
Birthplace: Springfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States
Death: September 24, 1991 (87)
La Jolla, San Diego, San Diego County, California, United States
Immediate Family:

Son of Theodor Robert Geisel and Henrietta Augusta Geisel
Husband of Helen Marion Geisel and Audrey Geisel
Brother of Margaretha Christine Geisel; Henrietta Geisel and Marnie Geisel

Occupation: Children's Book Author
Misspelled Surname: Giesel
Managed by: alison joy thomas
Last Updated:
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Immediate Family

About Dr. Seuss

Author, Illustrator. Known to millions of children as ‘Dr. Seuss’, he was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, he enjoyed a fairly happy childhood, reading comic strips and writing humorous poems and drawing his own cartoons. He attended Dartmouth College and by all accounts was a typical, mischievous college student. He worked hard to become the editor-in-chief of Jack-O-Lantern, Dartmouth's humor magazine, but his reign as editor came to an abrupt end when he and his friends were caught throwing a party that did not coincide with school policy. He then attended Oxford (his father scraped the money to send him there after he was denied his application), where he met his wife, Helen. It was Helen who first suggested that he draw for a living. In 1948, Ted and Helen purchased an old observation tower in La Jolla, California. "The Tower," as it soon became known, was to remain the primary Geisel residence for the remainder of their lives. It was there that he wrote most of his works; he enjoyed writing entertaining books that encouraged children to read. Some of his most famous creations were “The Cat in the Hat”, “The Lorax”, and “Green Eggs and Ham”. There are several -- his later books, in particular -- that were, in fact, inspired by current events or his own personal concerns. “The Butter Battle Book”, perhaps the most controversial of all his books, was written in response to the nuclear arms race. Published in 1984, “Butter Battle” sheds light on the growing threat of war between the Yooks and the Zooks. In 1966, he received a call from his friend and famed animator Chuck Jones, well known as the creator of many Looney Toons characters. Jones convinced Ted Geisel to adapt his book “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” for television. Ted Geisel died in his sleep in 1991, at his home in La Jolla, California. He was 87 years old. At the time of his death, some 200 million copies of his books, translated into 15 different languages, had found their way into homes and hearts around the world. Since then, sales continue to climb, estimated at more than 22 million since 1991. Six books were produced posthumously, all based on ‘Dr. Seuss’ materials, with one exception: “My Many Colored Days” was written by Ted himself in 1973, but the text was not discovered until after his death.

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Dr. Seuss's Timeline

1904
March 2, 1904
Springfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States
1991
September 24, 1991
Age 87
La Jolla, San Diego, San Diego County, California, United States