Thomas Alexander Boyd (July 3, 1898 – January 27, 1935) was an American journalist and novelist, born in

Defiance, Ohio Defiance is a city in Defiance County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 17,066 at the 2020 census. It is located at the confluence of the Auglaize and Maumee rivers about southwest of Toledo and northeast of For ...

. Boyd was raised by his mother's family due to his father's death before he was born. While still in school, he and a friend enlisted in the

U.S. Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionary ...

and saw service in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, where he was gassed in 1918. Upon discharge from the occupation forces in 1919, Boyd tried several occupations before becoming a writer for newspapers in

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

and

St. Paul Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

. He opened a bookstore, Kilmarnock Books, in St. Paul, which became the locus of literary figures, including

Sinclair Lewis Harry Sinclair Lewis (February 7, 1885 – January 10, 1951) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and playwright. In 1930 Nobel Prize in Literature, 1930, he became the first author from the United States (and the first from the America ...

. He was urged to write and produced the 1923 novel '' Through the Wheat'', based in part on his own war experiences and set partly during the

Battle of Belleau Wood The Battle of Belleau Wood (1–26 June 1918) was a major battle that occurred during the German spring offensive in World War I, near the Marne (river), Marne River in France. The battle was fought by the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division (United State ...

. Another war novel, ''The Dark Cloud'', followed in 1924, and a book of short stories, ''Point of Honor'', in 1925. Boyd later remarried and became interested in Socialist causes during the Depression, eventually running as the Communist candidate for

governor of Vermont The governor of Vermont is the head of government of the U.S. state of Vermont. The officeholder is elected in even-numbered years by direct voting for a term of two years. Vermont and bordering New Hampshire are the only states to hold guberna ...

. He died suddenly in 1935 of a stroke.

Selected works

* '' Through the Wheat'' (1923) novel * ''The Dark Cloud'' (1924) novel * ''Points of Honor'' (1925) stories * ''Samuel Drummond'' (1925) novel * ''Shadow of the Long Knives'' (1928) novel * ''

Simon Girty Simon Girty (14 November 1741 – 18 February 1818) was an interpreter with the British Indian Department during the American Revolutionary War and Northwest Indian War. As a child he and his brothers James and George were captured and adopted b ...

, the White Savage'' (1928) biography * ''Mad Anthony Wayne'' (1929) biography * ''Light-Horse Harry Lee'' (1931) biography * ''Poor John Fitch'' (1935) biography * ''In Time of Peace'' (1935) novel

References

External links

*
Thomas Boyd Research Notes for ''Poor John Fitch''
at Dartmouth College Library {{DEFAULTSORT:Boyd, Thomas Alexander 1898 births 1935 deaths 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American male writers Novelists from Minnesota American male novelists People from Defiance, Ohio United States Marine Corps personnel of World War I United States Marines