"Robert Ames" was born Charles Lee Clifford on October 23, 1890, in Boston, Massachusetts. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1913 and later obtained a commission in the Army, rising to the rank of Colonel. While in the Army he trained Philippine troops prior to and during World War II, becoming Commanding Officer of the 2nd Filipino Infantry Regiment in 1942. Besides the three hardboiled novels he wrote for Gold Medal as Robert Ames, Clifford wrote several books and stories about the Philippines including The Real Glory (1937), filmed with Gary Cooper and David Niven in 1939. A veteran of both World wars, Clifford retired as a colonel in the Army after serving 32 years. He lived with his wife Elizabeth and three daughters in Tinton Falls since 1948, and died at age 100 on April 11, 1991, in Shrewsbury, New Jersey.