Roy Hoopes (May 17, 1922 – December 8, 2009) was an American journalist, writer, and biographer who wrote the official biographies 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 or SLC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Salt ...

, to Roy and Lydia Hoopes. After active duty in

WWII World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

in the Naval Reserves, he attended

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, completing his A.B. in 1943 and M.A. in 1948. He worked as a writer and editor for various magazines in D.C., including '' The Washingtonian, Path-finder, High Fidelity, Democratic Digest

Playboy ''Playboy'' (stylized in all caps) is an American men's Lifestyle journalism, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, available both online and in print. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $ ...

, and

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...

''. 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 Coun ...

'' 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 A press club is an organization for journalists and others who are 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 Press Club ...

. 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 The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America which is based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards hon ...

in 1984, and Ralph Ingersoll, he also wrote novels and nonfiction about the

Peace Corps The Peace Corps is an Independent agency of the U.S. government, independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to communities in partner countries around the world. It was established in Marc ...

, 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) * ''Ralph Ingersoll: A Biography'' (1985) * ''The Steel Crisis: 72 Hours That Shook the Nation'' (1963) * ''Political Campaigning'' (1979) * ''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) * ''A Watergate Tape'' (2001) * ''When the Stars Went to War: Hollywood and WWII'' (1994) * ''Paralegal Careers'' (with William Fry) * ''The Making of a Mormon Apostle: The Story of Rudger Clawson'' (1990) * ''Our Man in Washington'' (2000) * ''Americans Remember the Homefront'' (2002)

Selected edited works

* ''Career in C Major and Other Fiction (''1986) ' * ''The Baby in the Icebox and Other Short Fiction'' (1981) * ''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