Arthur Conan Doyle – Sherlock Holmes

On May 22 1859, Arthur Conan Doyle was born in Edinburgh Scotland. Arthur Conan Doyle is probably best known for creating the iconic detective Sherlock Holmes. Arthur Doyle’s father, Charles Altamont Doyle was an alcoholic but his mother according to Arthur was a brilliant story teller.

Arthur studied medicine and earned his medical degree at the university of Edinburgh. One of the most notable people he met at school was Dr. Joseph Bell, whom Arthur respected and admired. Many of Bell’s qualities, would show up in the character of Sherlock Holmes.

Young Dr. Doyle opened a practice in Portsmouth where he split his time between wring and his practice. It was here that he met and married his first wife Louise Hawkins in 1885. They would have two children together, Mary Louise (1889 – 1976 ) and Arthur Kingsley (1892-1918). Sadly, Louise contracted tuberculosis and died in 1906.

Arthur married his second wife, Jean Elizabeth Leckie in 1907. It was rumoured that Arthur had fallen in love with her years earlier but had kept their relationship plutonic out of respect for his first wife. They had three children together, Denis (1909-1955) Adrian Malcolm (1910-1970 and Jean Lena (1912-1997).

Arthur Conan Doyle was knighted in 1902. He ran a number of times for parliament and also went to Vienna to study as an eye doctor. Through all this he maintained his writing.

After writing numerous stories about Sherlock, Arthur began to feel that his more serious book and efforts were being overshadowed by his now famous detective character. This is one of the reasons he gave for deciding to end the character once and for all by killing him in the story “The Final Problem”.

Fortunately a combination of both public outcry and Arthur needing funds finally lead to the resurrection of Sherlock Holmes. Arthur is also famous for creating “The Lost World” Series which he wrote as a boy’s series.

Arthur died in 1930 on July 30th. He was buried in Hampshire England. His tombstone reads:

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Steel True
Blade Straight
Arthur Conan Doyle
Knight
Patriot, Physician & Man of Letters

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