Thomas William Duncan (August 15, 1905 – September 15, 1987) was an American writer of circus novels, his most famous novel was ''Gus the Great'' (1947). Born in

Casey, Iowa Casey is a city in Adair and Guthrie counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 387 at the 2020 census. The Guthrie County portion of Casey is part of the Des Moines – West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Casey ...

, Duncan was educated at the

Drake University Drake University is a private university in Des Moines, Iowa. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, including professional programs in business, law, and pharmacy. Drake's law school is among the 25 oldest in the United States. Hi ...

and

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

. He taught and worked as Director of Public Relations at

Grinnell College Grinnell College is a private liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa, United States. It was founded in 1846 when a group of New England Congregationalists established the Trustees of Iowa College. Grinnell has the fifth highest endowment-to-st ...

(from 1942 to 1944). He was married to Actea Carolyn Young. He died at the age of 82, in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and was buried in an unmarked grave. His Wife, Actea, died three years later. Their graves were unmarked until July 22, 2015.

Novels

* O Chautauqua (1935) * Ring Horse (1940) * Gus the Great (1947) * Big River, Big Man (1959) * Virgo Descending (1961) * The Labyrinth (1967) * The Sky and Tomorrow (1974)

References

External links

* Th
Thomas W. Duncan Papers
are housed at the University of Iowa Special Collections & University Archives.

Thomas W. Duncan & “Gus the Great” by Donna Catterick
{{DEFAULTSORT:Duncan, Thomas William 1905 births 1987 deaths Drake University alumni Harvard University alumni 20th-century American writers 20th-century American male writers