Edward Streeter (August 1, 1891[1] – March 31, 1976), sometimes credited as E. Streeter, was an American novelist and journalist, best known for the 1949 novel Father of the Bride and his Dere Mable series.
He grew in notoriety with his "Dere Mable" letters, a humorous column from an undereducated soldier writing home. Serialized between 1917 and 1919 in the 27th Division's magazine Gas Attack, they were inspired by Streeter's time spent on an army base (Camp Wadsworth, near Spartanburg, South Carolina). The humorous letters were compiled in 1919 in Streeter's full-length books "Dere Mable", "Thats me all over, Mable", and "Same old Bill, eh Mable".
After returning home from the war, Streeter pursued writing casually, deciding to focus on his work as a businessman. For eight years he served as assistant vice president, before transitioning to the Fifth Avenue Bank (later, The Bank of New York) in New York City, where he served as vice president for twenty-five years.
After his breakthrough success, Streeter continued to write successful novels. Of the most notable of his subsequent works are Mr. Hobbs' Vacation (1954, filmed in 1962), Merry Christmas, Mr. Baxter (1956), Mr. Robbins Rides Again (1958), and Chairman of the Bored (1961). He also wrote two non-fiction books about his European travels: Skoal Scandinavia (1952) and Along the Ridge (1964).[1] He finished his writing career with 1969's grim semi-autobiographical Ham Martin, Class of '17.
Streeter died on March 31, 1976, in New York City and was buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery, Buffalo, New York.
^"Index Record for Edward Streeter (1891) Veterans Affairs Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem Death File", Fold3 by Ancestry.com website. Retrieved November 18, 2023. Enlistment Date is listed as "26 Mar 1916" and Release Date is listed as "4 Dec 1917".
^"Buffalo Soldiers Get Promotion", The Buffalo Commercial, Buffalo, New York, volume LXXXVI, number 29,099, December 5, 1917, page 7. (subscription required)
^ ab"Streeter Edward", Officer-NA and USA, Form No. 84d–1, A.G.O. (New York, U.S., Abstracts of World War I Military Service, 1917-1919 database available on Ancestry.com.