Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Bonsal was an international correspondent of the New York Herald (1885—1907), and the New York Times (1910—1911). He traveled extensively following the armies of many wars.

During World War I, Bonsal served in the American Expeditionary Forces, being employed in psychological warfare. He was also President Woodrow Wilson's private translator during the 1919 Peace Conference in Paris.

• The Real Condition of Cuba (1897)
• The American Mediterranean (1912)
• Unfinished Business (Pulitzer Prize for History winner 1944)
• Suitors and Suppliants: The Little Nations at Versailles (1946)

Stephanus Bonsal