Roy Hoopes (1922-2009) was a journalist, author, and biographer who wrote more than 30 books official biographer of
James M. Cain and
Ralph Ingersoll.
Roy Hoopes was born on May 17, 1922 in
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
to Roy and Lydia Hoopes. After active duty in
WWII
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
in the
Naval Reserves
The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2005, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called Reservists, are categorized as being in either the S ...
, he attended
George Washington University
, mottoeng = "God is Our Trust"
, established =
, type = Private federally chartered research university
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.8 billion (2022)
, presi ...
in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, completing his
A.B.
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four ye ...
in 1943 and
M.A.
A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. ...
in 1948. He worked as a writer and editor for various magazines in DC, including ''
The Washingtonian, Path-finder, High Fidelity, Democratic Digest
Playboy
''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother.
K ...
, and
National Geographic''. From 1957-1977 he also had a weekly newspaper column for the ''
Berkshire Eagle
''The Berkshire Eagle'' is an American daily newspaper published in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, and covering all of Berkshire County, as well as four New York communities near Pittsfield. It is considered a newspaper of record for Berkshire County ...
'' under the false name Peter Potomac. He was a member of the
Oral History Association
The Oral History Association (OHA) is a professional association for oral historians and others interested in advancing the practice and use of oral history.[National Press Club
Organizations
A press club is an organization for journalists and others professionally engaged in the production and dissemination of news. A press club whose membership is defined by the press of a given country may be known as a National Pres ...]
.
Hoopes wrote and co-wrote over 30 works of fiction and non-fiction. His most notable works include his biographies of James M. Cain, for which he won the
Edgar Award in 1984, and Ralph Ingersoll, he also wrote novels and nonfiction about the
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to provide international development assistance. It was established in March 1961 by an executive order of President John ...
, the steel industry, politics, sports, and Hollywood.
Roy Hoopes died of pneumonia on December 8, 2009 at age 87.
Selected published works
* ''Cain: The Biography of James M. Cain'' (1982
ISBN* ''Ralph Ingersoll: A Biography'' (1985
ISBN* ''The Steel Crisis: 72 Hours That Shook the Nation'' (1963)
* ''Political Campaigning'' (1979
ISBN
* ''The Peace Corps Experience'' (1968)
* ''The Presidency: A Question of Power'' (with Erwin C. Hargrove)
* ''A Report on Fallout in Your Food'' (1962)
* ''Everything You Need to Know about Building the Custom Home: How to Be Your Own General Contractor'' (with John Folds) (1990
ISBN* ''A Watergate Tape'' (2001
ISBN* ''When the Stars Went to War: Hollywood and WWII'' (1994
ISBN* ''Paralegal Careers'' (with William Fry)
* ''The Making of a Mormon Apostle: The Story of Rudger Clawson'' (1990
ISBN* ''Our Man in Washington'' (2000
ISBN* ''Americans Remember the Homefront'' (2002
ISBN
Selected edited works
* ''Career in C Major and Other Fiction (''1986)
ISBN'
* ''The Baby in the Icebox and Other Short Fiction'' (1981
ISBN* ''The Life and Hard Times of the Late, Great Peter Potomac''
* ''Wit from Overseas'' (1953)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoopes, Roy
Journalists from Utah
Writers from Salt Lake City
20th-century American biographers
George Washington University alumni
The Washington Post journalists
Playboy people
National Geographic people
Edgar Award winners
1922 births
2009 deaths
Deaths from pneumonia in Maryland
20th-century American journalists
American male journalists