Arthur Somers Roche

Arthur Somers Roche (April 27, 1883 – February 17, 1935) was an American author of novels, short stories, and two plays. Arthur Somers Roche was born April 27, 1883, in Somerville, Massachusetts. He attended Holy Cross College from 1899 to 1901, then studied law at Boston University, graduating in 1904. Roche initially practiced law, but after 18 months, he switched careers and entered the newspaper business with The New York World. In 1910, he began to write fiction, contributing stories to magazines. His first story sold for $6, the second, for $25, after which he began to command higher prices for his output. In 1916, his first novel, Loot, was published. Two years later, in September 1918, he was commissioned a captain in the Military Intelligence Division of the United States Army.Roche was married twice. His first wife was Ethel Kirby Nowell of New York; she died in 1915. He then married Ethel Pettit of Stuttgart, Arkansas in 1917. Roche died February 17, 1935, in Palm Beach, Florida due to a heart ailment and pneumonia. He was 51. He was survived by his second wife and two sons, one from each marriage. Ethel Pettit Roche died in 1969. Arthur Somers Roche is interred in Castine Cemetery in Castine, Maine, as are both of his wives.