Reuben Gold Thwaites was an American historical writer. Thwaites was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts. He moved to Wisconsin in 1866 where, from 1876 to 1886, he was managing editor of the Wisconsin State Journal, at Madison. He edited the Wisconsin Historical Collections ; The Jesuit Relations ; Early Western Travels, 1748-1846 ; Original Journals of Lewis and Clark ; and similar works. In 1899 he was president of the American Library Association.