George Derby (1823 - 1861)

George Horatio Derby (April 3, 1823 – May 15, 1861) was an early California humorist. He attended West Point with Ulysses S. Grant. Derby served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army Corps of Topographical Engineers. In his spare time, he wrote humorous anecdotes and burlesques, often under the guise of his pseudonyms. Derby used the pseudonym "John P. Squibob" and its variants "John Phoenix" and "Squibob."