William Andrew Johnston

William Andrew Johnston (1871–1929) was an American journalist, writer, and co-founder, with George T. Delacorte Jr., of Dell Publishing.[1]

William Andrew Johnston in 1924

Personal

Johnston was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on January 26, 1871, the son of William Andrew and Agnes (Parry) Johnston. He graduated with a Litt.D from Western University of Pennsylvania (now the University of Pittsburgh) in 1891, where he was valedictorian.[2] Soon after graduation, he moved to New York City and took a job at the New York World newspaper, where he worked for 27 years.[1]

In 1921 he co-founded Dell Publishing. In 1927 he moved to Chicago, becoming vice-president of public relations for Celotex Corporation.[1]

Johnston was married twice, first in 1896, to Hazel Minnette Williams of Hampshire, England,[3] and second, in 1910, to Hattie Belle McCollum (1883-1963). of Lockport, New York[4] He had a son, George E. Johnston.[5]

He died in Chicago on February 16, 1929, at age 58.[1]

Publications

According to The New York Times', "most of Mr. Johnston's books were written from his experience as a reporter."[1] He is best known for his books Limpy, the Boy Who Felt Neglected (1917), based on his own disability, and The Fun of Being a Fat Man (1922), again based on his life experience, in reaction to a book by Henri Beraud called The Tragedy of Being Fat (Le Martyre de l'obèse).[2] He wrote a series of articles for Collier's from 1925-26, on the theme "if I were a...", such as "If I Were a Business Man",[6] "If I Were a Clergyman", "If I Were a Doctor", "If I Were a Lawyer", "If I Were a Rich Man", "If I Were Out of a Job". He also wrote a number of detective stories, and non-fiction.

Fiction

Non-fiction

References
  1. "William Johnston Dead". The New York Times. Feb 17, 1929. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  2. Pratt, Fletcher (8 May 1927). "Being Fat Helped William Johnston Win Writer's Fame". The Pittsburgh Press. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  3. Leonard, John William; Marquis, Albert Nelson (1908). Who's who in America. pp. 1007–1008.
  4. "Noted Journalist who Married in Lockport". The Buffalo Sunday Morning News. 17 Apr 1910. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
  5. Johnston, William (1921). My Own Main Street. Cincinnati: The Standard Publishing Company. Retrieved Jun 6, 2021.
  6. Johnston, William (Sep 27, 1924). "If I Were a Business Man". Collier's: 8. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.