Lavinia Riker Davis (1909-1961)

She was born in New York City and grew up for the most part on her father's estate (Holly House) in northern Monmouth County, New Jersey, where she developed her passion for horses. She was the granddaughter of John Lawrence Riker who founded a successful chemical firm in New York and became Vice-President of the Bank of New York. She was educated at Brearley School and Columbia University. In 1930, she married Wendell Davis, of New York City and they had six children. She authored over 40-books that were mainly children's books and mysteries. She sometimes used the pen-name Wendell Farmer, but all her horse books were written as Lavinia R. Davis. Her illustrators included Hildegard Woodward who won two Caldecott Honor Medals for her Davis' book (for Roger and the Fox in 1948, and The Wild Birthday Cake in 1950), and Paul Brown, "probably the most sought after equine illustrator in America".