Born on Wilshire Blvd. in downtown Los Angeles at the end of the 1940s, he began writing history at age 10. Douglas went into the family line of teaching (4th generation) at age 25, having received his degree in education at California State University Long Beach. After 15 years of teaching in public schools and industry, he started his publishing business in 1990. During the past two decades he has written and published over 90 titles on American history and has been consulted on several documentary films. He lives with his wife and two grandchildren in historic Old Towne Orange, CA, a frequent location for the film industry.