Stephen Leacock was born on December 30, 1869, in Swanmore, Hampshire, England. He was the third of eleven children in his family. His father, Peter Leacock, was a successful farmer, and his mother, Agnes Emma Butler, came from a wealthy and well-connected family. Stephen's childhood was marked by a strong emphasis on education and discipline, with his parents instilling in him a love for learning from an early age.
Leacock attended Upper Canada College in Toronto, where he excelled academically and showed a talent for writing. After graduating, he pursued further education at the University of Toronto, where he studied modern languages and literature. He later went on to study political economy at the University of Chicago, where he earned a Ph.D. in economics in 1903.
After completing his studies, Leacock returned to Canada and began his career as a writer. He quickly gained recognition for his humorous and satirical writing style, which often poked fun at society's foibles and shortcomings. Some of his most famous works include "Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town," "Arcadian Adventures With the Idle Rich," and "Literary Lapses."
In addition to his fiction writing, Leacock also published numerous non-fiction works on a variety of topics, including Canadian history, politics, and economics. Some of his most notable non-fiction works include "Canada and the Sea," "Our Heritage of Liberty," "Our British Empire," and "The Dawn of Canadian History."
Despite his busy writing career, Leacock found time to start a family. In 1900, he married Beatrix Hamilton, with whom he had one son. The couple lived in a charming cottage in the countryside, where Leacock found inspiration for many of his stories.
Leacock was known for his warm and engaging personality, and he had a wide circle of friends and admirers. He was a member of several prestigious literary and social clubs, and he was often sought after as a speaker and lecturer.
Throughout his career, Stephen Leacock was recognized for his contributions to Canadian literature and culture. In 1937, he was awarded the Royal Society of Canada's Lorne Pierce Medal in recognition of his outstanding body of work.
Leacock's writing continues to be celebrated and enjoyed by readers around the world. His sharp wit and keen observations of human nature have made him a beloved figure in Canadian literature, and his works remain popular and widely read to this day.
Stephen Leacock passed away on March 28, 1944, but his legacy lives on through his timeless writing and enduring influence on the literary world.