Oursler, Will, 1913-1985

Will Oursler (1913-1985) was an American author, lecturer and radio commentator. He was the son of noted novelist Fulton Oursler, and is best known for his novel N.Y. N.Y. (1954) and for his non-fiction Father Flanagan of Boys' Town (1949), which was made into a movie starring Spencer Tracy.

Oursler was born July 12, 1913, in Baltimore, Maryland, but grew up and attended schools in New York City. At first Oursler wanted to become an artist, and to that end he attended the Art Students' League in New York City. However, he decided to complete college and graduated cum laude from Harvard in 1937. After graduation, Oursler worked on the staffs of various Boston newspapers and began writing mystery novels. His first book, The Trial of Vincent Doon, was published in 1941, followed by Folio on Florence White in 1942. He also wrote under the names Gale Gallagher and Nick Marino.

World War II interrupted Oursler's career as a novelist, and he spent three years in the Pacific as a war correspondent for Fawcett Publications. He returned to writing after the war, penning numerous mystery novels and contributing articles and short stories to such well-known magazines as Collier's and Reader's Digest . Oursler also wrote non-fiction, including Father Flanagan of Boys' Town (1949, co-written with his father), Narcotics: America's Peril (1952, with Laurence Dwight Smith), The Boy Scout Story (1955), The Road to Faith (1960), The Murderers (1961, with Harry Anslinger), and Marijuana: The Facts, The Truth (1970).

Over the course of his career Oursler wrote more than 45 books including 12 mystery novels. He was vice-president of the Mystery Writers of America, a founding commodore of the Overseas Yacht Club, and president of the Overseas Press Club from 1970 to 1972. His autobiography, Family Story, was published in 1963.

From the guide to the Will Oursler Papers, 1925-1985, (Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries)