Will Irwin (1873-1948) began his writing career as a humorist with the San Francisco magazine The Lark but quickly moved on to war reporting and nonfiction writing on serious subjects. He was managing editor for McClure's Magazine, writer for Collier's Weekly, war correspondent for the London Daily Mail, and the Saturday Evening Post. His brother was humorist Wallace Irwin, and his wife was reporter and novelist Inez Haynes Irwin.
