George Samuel Clason November 7, 1874 – April 7, 1957 Born in Louisiana, Missouri and died in Napa, California. During his eighty-two years of life, Clason worked as a soldier, writer, and businessman. Clason served in the U.S. Army during the Spanish-American War. He founded two companies: Clason Map Company of Denver, Colorado and Clason Publishing Company. Clason Map Company of Denver, Colorado was the first to publish a road atlas of the United States and Canada—a map showing roads in a simple way, transportation lines, and some geographic information—but the company folded due to the Great Depression.