Graduated from Purdue University, Ade was on the staff of the Chicago Record newspaper from 1890 to 1900. The characters he introduced in his widely acclaimed editorial-page column, “Stories of the Streets and of the Town,” became the subjects of his early books, Artie (1896), Pink Marsh (1897), and Doc Horne (1899). His greatest recognition came with Fables in Slang (1899), a national best-seller that was followed by a weekly syndicated fable and by 11 other books of fables. The fables, which contained only a little slang, were, rather, examples of the vernacular.

In 1902 Ade's light opera The Sultan of Sulu began a long run in New York, followed by such successful comedies as The County Chairman (1903) and The College Widow (1904). He was recognized as one of the most successful playwrights of his time. He established an estate near Brook, Ind., which became his permanent home. He wrote many motion-picture scripts and, during the Prohibition era, what many called one of his most amusing books, The Old Time Saloon (1931).