Roy Hoopes (May 17, 1922 – December 8, 2009) was an American journalist, writer, and biographer who wrote the official biographies of

James M. Cain James Mallahan Cain (July 1, 1892 – October 27, 1977) was an American novelist, journalist and screenwriter. He is widely regarded as a progenitor of the hardboiled school of American crime fiction. His novels ''The Postman Always Rings Twice ...

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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

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 Sele ...

, he attended

George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , preside ...

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 years ...

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. Tho ...

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'' 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 ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...

''. 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 Press ...

. 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, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...

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 F. ...

, 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