Ernest PoolePoole was born on January 23, 1880, in Chicago, Illinois, to Abram and Mary Howe Poole. His Wisconsin-born father was a prominent commodities trader at the Chicago Board of Trade, and his mother came from a well-established Chicago family; together, they produced seven children. Poole was homeschooled until he was nearly seven years old, when he enrolled in Chicago's University School for Boys. He first demonstrated a talent for the written word while working briefly on the staff of the school newspaper. He grew up in an affluent environment, spending summers at his family's seasonal home in Lake Forest, Michigan. After a year away from formal study, Poole returned to Princeton, New Jersey, to attend Princeton University, where he took political science courses taught by Woodrow Wilson. There, he continued to show an interest in journalism and fiction writing, joining the staff of the school's daily newspaper, The Prince, before finding conventional journalism tiresome. He transitioned from practical journalism to the arts, contributing to the college literary magazine, The Lit, and writing two librettos for the prestigious Princeton Triangle Club, both of which were rejected. Read More Read Less