Margaret Carver Leighton moved her four children to Santa Monica from Virginia in 1935 when her husband died. She wrote 22 books in her lifetime, many Junior Literary Guild choices. She went to college at Radcliffe and was an Army nurse during World War I. Her writing focused on historical characters including Cleopatra, Elstrid, General Custer, Mary Godwin Shelly and others. She also wrote several mysteries for children, using her own children as models for the characters. Mrs. Leighton was a member of the Library Board for the Santa Monica Public Library and appeared in the Children's Department of the Library signing books in 1960. She died on June 19, 1987 at the age of 90 in Santa Monica.
