Name: JENKINS, William Fitzgerald Aged: 78
Born: June 16, 1896 Where: Norfolk, Virginia
Died: June 8, 1975 Where: Gloucester, Virginia
Interred: _ _ _
Married: Mary L. Mandola When: August 9, 1921
Awarded: 1956 Hugo for short fiction, "Exploration Team"

A major SF writer from the 1920's until he died, with several hundred stories published in the pulps. Jenkins also wrote and published over 1,500 short stories and articles for the mainstream magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post, Liberty, and Collier's. He wrote 14 movies and hundreds of radio scripts and television plays, inspiring several series including "Land of the Giants" and "Time Tunnel." Noted SF novels included War with the Gizmos, Four from Planet 5, The Pirates of Zan, and Colonial Survey

"Murray Leinster," the science fantasy writer, began appearing in the late 20s in pulps like Wierd Tales and then sold to Astounding in the 30s on a regular basis. After WW II, when both Leinster (the name) and the pulps had achieved a wider acceptance, Will would use either William Fitzgerald or Will F. Jenkins as names on stories when "Leinster" had already sold a piece to a particular issue. Commenting on his career as free lance writer, Jenkins said, "By the way, I've only starved to death twice." Not that he wasn't prolific or successful in the western, mystery, horror, and science fiction fields...its just that rates were dismal.

Jenkins served in both World Wars. He was in the US Army infantry in WWI and served in the Office of War Information in WWII as a senior publications editor. Leinster lived out his life in Virginia, his adulthood spent with family in a "kitchen-colonial" house built in Gloucester County in 1650, the property of the first man ever to be hanged in Virginia.

PEN NAMES: Murray Leinster, and variables of his own name, such as Will F. Jenkins and William Fitzgerald.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Some of it can be found in Contemporary Authors , New Rev. Series, Vol 4, p328-9

ONLINE BIBLIOGRAPHY: Mine here or try Steven Silver's pages on Jenkins that contain a great photo and a growing multi-field bibliography here.

BIOGRAPHY: Who Was Who in America, Vol VI, p212
and Science Fiction Writers, Scribners 1982

OBITUARY: Associated Press, June 9, 1975

Send relevant email to George C. Willick