Roger Lea MacBride

Roger Lea MacBride, the "adopted grandson" and heir of Rose Wilder Lane, was born in New Rochelle, New York, in 1929. His father, Burt MacBride, was an editor for Reader's Digest when Rose wrote for the magazine, and he introduced his teenage son to the author. Roger loved to listen to Rose's stories and political theories, and the two became close.

MacBride graduated from Princeton University in 1951 and Harvard Law School in 1954. MacBride then married Susan Ford, and the young couple adopted a daughter, Abigail Adams MacBride.

MacBride received the rights to the "Little House" books upon Rose's death in 1968. In 1971, he had Laura's manuscript of The First Four Years published, and in 1974, he edited her letters to Almanzo in 1915 and published them as West From Home.

MacBride ran for President of the United States on the Libertarian ticket in the 1976 election, his campaigned financed by the royalties from the "Little House" books.

A continuation of the "Little House" series with Rose as the main character has been published under the name of Roger Lea MacBride. MacBride provided some input into this fictionalized series, which includes: Little House on Rocky Ridge, Little Farm in the Ozarks, In the Land of the Big Red Apple, On the Other Side of the Hill , Little Town in the Ozarks, New Dawn on Rocky Ridge, On the Banks of the Bayou, and Bachelor Girl.

MacBride died on March 5, 1995, at his home in Miami Beach, Florida, leaving two sisters and his daughter Abby.