Tom Curry (writer)

Thomas Albert Curry (1900–1976^[1]), was a 20th-century American pulp fiction writer who began writing crime and detective stories but went on to become one of the more prolific western writers in the genre.^[2]

Tom Curry
Born	Thomas Albert Curry (1900-11-04)November 4, 1900 Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.
Died	October 7, 1976(1976-10-07) (aged 75) Norwalk, Connecticut, U.S.
Occupation	Writer
Language	English
Alma mater	Columbia University
Genre	Pulp fiction
Years active	1923–1974
Spouse	Louise Moore
Children	2
Parents	Thomas Albert Curry Sr. Sarah Jefferies
Relatives	Helen Curry (sister) F. R. Buckley (brother-in-law)
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Early life

Curry was born in Hartford, Connecticut, on November 4, 1900. He attended Columbia College in 1920 and graduated in 1922.^[1] In 1923, he worked as a crime reporter for William Randolph Hearst's newspaper the New York American.^[3] Some of his early crime stories were taken from this experience.^[4]

Curry's sister was actress Helen Curry who was married to fellow pulp fiction author F. R. Buckley.^[3]

Writing career

Curry was paid $25.00 for his first story to be published, "Diamond in the Rough", which appeared in the March 1921 edition of pulp magazine People's Favorite^[5]

In 1923 he was a crime reporter for the New York American.^[6]

Curry's stories have appeared in over 400 pulp magazines including Argosy, Black Mask, The Blue Book Magazine, Short Stories and several Thrilling Publications including Texas Rangers,^[7] Thrilling Adventures, Thrilling Ranch Stories and Thrilling Western^[8][9]

The Rio Kid

In 1939 Curry created his most well known character, The Rio Kid, bringing an element of historical fiction to the genre with his lead character interacting with actual historical events and people. This series had its own magazine devoted to it from 1939 through 1953^[8]

As was not uncommon in the genre, in addition to writing under his own name Curry would also write under pseudonyms including Jackson Cole, Bradford Scott (house names for Texas Ranger Magazine) and John Benton (house name for Thrilling Publications^[5] and sometimes ghostwrite for others such as Romer Zane Grey, eldest son of Zane Grey.^[8]

Curry was a prominent member of Western Writers of America for 50 years.^[3]

Selected works

title	published
The Bandits Of Boise	1965
The Buffalo Hunters - A Rio Kid Western
Blood on the Plains - A Captain Mesquite Novel	1947
Captain Mesquite
Chaparral Marauders	1939
Colorado Gold	1974
The Comstock Load
Drifter	1973
From an Amber Block	1930
Frontier Massacre	1974
Gunfighters Way
Gunfighters Holiday
Guns Of Dodge City
Hate Along The Rio	1938
Hell's Dimension	1931
Indian Outpost	1971
Kit Carson's Way
Land of Challenge	1965
Land Pirates, The	1976
Leadville Avengers - A Rio Kid Western	1970
Marshal Of Wichita	1946
The Montana Vigilantes - A Rio Kid Western	1941
The Mormon Trail - A Captain Mesquite Story	1942
Octopus Guns	1950
On To Cheyenne	1976
Outlaws Brand	1969
Pards of Buffalo Bill - A Rio Kid Western	1941
Raiders of the Valley	1946
Range Of Doom	1966
Riding For Custer - A Captain Mesquite Novel	1947
Round Up Guns
Trail Blazers, The - A Rio Kid Western
Trail Town Guns	1948
Wagons To California	1972

State register

Curry's former home in Norwalk, CT is listed on the Connecticut State Register of Historic Places.^[10]