Edward Elmer Smith (May 2, 1890 - August 31, 1965) was an American food engineer and science-fiction author best known for his Lensman and Skylark novels. He is sometimes referred to as the "Father of Space Opera." Edward Elmer Smith was born on May 2, 1890, in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, to Fred Jay Smith and Caroline Mills Smith, both devout Presbyterians of British origin. His mother was a teacher born in Michigan in February 1855, and his father was a sailor born in Maine to an English father in January 1855. The winter after Edward Elmer was born, they relocated to Spokane, Washington, where Mr. Smith worked as a contractor in 1900. The family relocated to Seneaquoteen, on the Pend Oreille River in Kootenai County, Idaho, in 1902. He had four siblings: Rachel M. (born September 1882), Daniel M. (born January 1884), Mary Elizabeth (born February 1886) and Walter E. (born July 1891 in Washington). Fred and Caroline Smith, together with their son Walter, were living in the Markham Precinct of Bonner County, Idaho in 1910; Fred is classified as a farmer in census data.
