Frank Richardson Pierce(1881-1966)
- Writer
Frank Richardson Pierce was born on 21 October, 1881, at Greenfield,
Massachusetts, the son of Frank R. and Kitty (or Kittie) A. Pierce. His
father had worked as a hardware dealer in Milwaukee before relocating
to Seattle in the early 1900s. As a young man Pierce had served for a
year and a half in the US Navy as a boatswain's mate, graduated from
the University of Washington and worked for the city of Seattle as a
clerk stenographer.
After selling his first short story for $40 Pierce dropped out of law school to pursue what would turn out to a lucrative career in writing. Primarily remembered for his westerns, Pierce became one of America's more prolific writers. His career spanned nearly 50 years and produced over 1,500 short stories, 3 novels, and 4 feature films. His popularity was such that over a thousand of his short stories appeared in Argosy and the Saturday Evening Post magazines. A number of his short stories were penned under the pseudonyms Erle Stanly Pierce and Seth Ranger. Pierce had also worked as a photo journalist for Motorcycling and Bicycling Illustrated while traveling on his 1919 Indian Scout motorcycle from the remote villages in Alaska to the small dusty towns along the Mexican/American border. Pierce was a founding member (May 5, 1921) and one time president of the Northwest Writers Association (later named the Seattle Free Lances) as well as a member of the Author League of America, the League of Western Writers and the Authors Guild of America.
According to his obituary, Frank Richardson Pierce was 78 when he passed away in Seattle on 7 January, 1966, but his 1917 draft registration card and the 1900 and 1910 US Census records indicate that he was actually 84. He was survived by his wife, Vivian G Gill, daughter, Dorothy and two sons, Frank Jr. and Frederick. .
After selling his first short story for $40 Pierce dropped out of law school to pursue what would turn out to a lucrative career in writing. Primarily remembered for his westerns, Pierce became one of America's more prolific writers. His career spanned nearly 50 years and produced over 1,500 short stories, 3 novels, and 4 feature films. His popularity was such that over a thousand of his short stories appeared in Argosy and the Saturday Evening Post magazines. A number of his short stories were penned under the pseudonyms Erle Stanly Pierce and Seth Ranger. Pierce had also worked as a photo journalist for Motorcycling and Bicycling Illustrated while traveling on his 1919 Indian Scout motorcycle from the remote villages in Alaska to the small dusty towns along the Mexican/American border. Pierce was a founding member (May 5, 1921) and one time president of the Northwest Writers Association (later named the Seattle Free Lances) as well as a member of the Author League of America, the League of Western Writers and the Authors Guild of America.
According to his obituary, Frank Richardson Pierce was 78 when he passed away in Seattle on 7 January, 1966, but his 1917 draft registration card and the 1900 and 1910 US Census records indicate that he was actually 84. He was survived by his wife, Vivian G Gill, daughter, Dorothy and two sons, Frank Jr. and Frederick. .
