Frank Bunker Gilbreth Jr. (March 17, 1911 – February 18, 2001) was an American journalist and author. He co-authored, with his sister

Ernestine Ernestine is a feminine given name. Ernest is the male counterpart of this name. Notable people with the name include: * Ernestine Anderson (1928–2016), American jazz and blues singer * Ernestine Bayer (1909–2006), American athlete * Ernestin ...

, the autobiographical bestsellers ''

Cheaper by the Dozen ''Cheaper by the Dozen'' is a semi-autobiographical novel written by Frank Bunker Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, published in 1948. The novel recounts the authors' childhood lives growing up in a household of 12 children. The bes ...

'' (1948; which was adapted as a 1950 film) and '' Belles on Their Toes'' (1950; which was adapted as a 1952 film). Under his own name, he wrote multiple additional books, such as ''Time Out for Happiness'' and ''Ancestors of the Dozen'', and a long-running newspaper column.

Early life and education

Gilbreth was born in

Plainfield, New Jersey Plainfield is a City (New Jersey), city in Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Nicknamed "The Queen City",

, the fifth child (and first boy) of the 12 children born to efficiency experts

Frank Bunker Gilbreth Frank Bunker Gilbreth (July 7, 1868 – June 14, 1924) was an American engineer, consultant, and author known as an early advocate of scientific management and a pioneer of time and motion study, and is perhaps best known as the father and ...

and

Lillian Moller Gilbreth Lillian Evelyn Gilbreth (; May 24, 1878 – January 2, 1972) was an American psychologist, industrial engineer, consultant, and educator who was an early pioneer in applying psychology to time and motion study, time-and-motion studies. She was d ...

, and grew up in the family home in

Montclair, New Jersey Montclair is a Township (New Jersey), township in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated on the cliffs of the Watchung Mountains, Montclair is a commercial and cultural hub of North Jersey and a diverse ...

, where he attended Montclair High School. Gilbreth graduated from the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

, where he served as editor of the college newspaper, ''

The Michigan Daily ''The Michigan Daily'', also known as "''The Daily''", is the independent student newspaper of the University of Michigan published in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Established on September 29, 1890, the newspaper is financially and editorially independe ...

''.

Career

During World War II, he served as a naval officer in the South Pacific, participated in three invasions in the Admiralty Islands and the Philippines, and was decorated with two air medals and a bronze star. In 1947, he relocated to

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

, where he returned to ''

The Post and Courier ''The Post and Courier'' is the main daily newspaper in Charleston, South Carolina. It traces its ancestry to three newspapers, the ''Charleston Courier'', founded in 1803, the ''Charleston Daily News'', founded 1865, and ''The Evening Post'', f ...

'' (the city's main daily newspaper), as an editorial writer and columnist; under the

nom de plume A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...

of Ashley Cooper, he wrote a long-running column, ''Doing the Charleston'', which ran until 1993. He retired from ''The Post and Courier'' in 2001, as assistant publisher and vice president. He and his older sister,

, wrote the bestselling books ''

'' (1948; adapted as a 1950 film) and its sequel '' Belles on Their Toes'' (1950; adapted as a 1952 film), which were largely

autobiographical An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...

. On his own, he also wrote about fatherhood in the post-

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

"baby boom", and about family members.

Personal life

Gilbreth was married twice, to Elizabeth Cauthen (until her death in 1954), with whom he had a daughter (Elizabeth G. Cantler), and then to Mary Pringle Manigault (1955-2001), with whom he had two children (Dr. Edward M. Gilbreth and Rebecca G. Herres).

Death

Gilbreth died in 2001, aged 89, in

, where he had lived for the preceding half century. At the time, he also maintained the family home in

Nantucket, Massachusetts Nantucket () is an island in the state of Massachusetts in the United States, about south of the Cape Cod peninsula. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck Island, Tuckernuck and Muskeget Island, Muskeget, it constitutes the Town and Co ...

, which his father had bought in 1921.

Works

Novels

''Cheaper by the Dozen'' series (with

Ernestine Gilbreth Carey Ernestine Moller Gilbreth Carey (; April 5, 1908 – November 4, 2006) was an American writer. Early life and education Ernestine Moller Gilbreth was born in New York City on April 5, 1908. She was the daughter of Frank B. and Lillian (Mol ...

): # # Stand-alones: *''Held's Angels'', with John Held (illustrator), 1952 *''Loblolly'', 1959 *''He's My Boy'', 1962

Non-fiction

;Articles: *''Ashley Cooper's Doing the Charleston'', 1993, collection of articles, ;Autobiographies and memoirs: *''I'm a Lucky Guy'', 1951 *''Innside Nantucket'', 1954 *''Of Whales and Women'', 1956 *''Time Out for Happiness'', 1970 *''Ancestors of the Dozen'', 1994 ;Satire and humour: *''Lord Ashley Cooper's Dictionary of Charlestonese'', 1950, pseudonym Ashley Cooper, *''How To Be a Father'', 1958 *''A Dictionary of Bostonese and Charlestonese'', 1974, pseudonym Ashley Cooper,

Adaptations

* ''

'' (1950), film directed by

Walter Lang Walter Lang (August 10, 1896 – February 7, 1972) was an American film director. Early life Walter Lang was born in Tennessee. As a young man he went to New York City where he found clerical work at a film production company. The business p ...

, based on novel ''

'' * '' Belles on Their Toes'' (1952), film directed by Henry Levin, based on novel '' Belles on Their Toes'' * ''

'' (2003), film directed by

Shawn Levy Shawn Adam Levy (; born July 23, 1968) is a Canadian and American filmmaker and actor. He is the founder of 21 Laps Entertainment. His work has spanned numerous genres, and his films as a director have grossed a collective $3.5 billion worldwid ...

, based on novel ''Cheaper by the Dozen'' * ''

Cheaper by the Dozen 2 ''Cheaper by the Dozen 2'' is a 2005 American family comedy film directed by Adam Shankman. It is the sequel to ''Cheaper by the Dozen'' (2003) and stars Steve Martin, Bonnie Hunt, Tom Welling, Piper Perabo, and Hilary Duff with Kevin G. Schmidt ...

'' (2005), film directed by

Adam Shankman Adam Michael Shankman (born November 27, 1964) is an American film director, producer, writer, dancer, author, actor, and choreographer. He was a permanent judge on seasons 6–7 of the television program ''So You Think You Can Dance (American TV ...

, based on novels ''Cheaper by the Dozen'' and ''Belles on Their Toes'' * ''

'' (2022), film directed by Gail Lerner, based on novel ''Cheaper by the Dozen''

References

External links

* , comprehensive family and professional history. * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gilbreth, Frank Jr. 1911 births 2001 deaths 20th-century American novelists American male journalists 20th-century American journalists American male novelists United States Navy personnel of World War II Military personnel from Montclair, New Jersey Montclair High School (New Jersey) alumni Writers from Montclair, New Jersey Writers from Plainfield, New Jersey Writers from Charleston, South Carolina United States Navy officers University of Michigan alumni 20th-century American male writers Novelists from New Jersey Novelists from South Carolina 20th-century American non-fiction writers The Michigan Daily alumni