William March author page

William March biography

William March, born William Edward Campbell in 1893 in Mobile, Alabama, was an American author and decorated U.S. Marine. He left school at age 14 to work in a lumber mill and later pursued legal studies at Valparaiso University and the University of Alabama, though financial constraints prevented him from completing a degree. In 1917, March enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and served in World War I, participating in major battles such as Belleau Wood and Blanc Mont Ridge. For his bravery, he received the Navy Cross, the Distinguished Service Cross, and the French Croix de Guerre.

After the war, March embarked on a business career with the Waterman Steamship Corporation, eventually rising to the position of vice president. Concurrently, he began writing fiction, adopting his mother’s maiden name, March, as his pen name. His first novel, Company K (1933), drew upon his wartime experiences and is recognized as a significant work of American war literature. He continued to write novels and short stories, many set in fictionalized versions of his Alabama hometown, including Come in at the Door (1934), The Tallons (1936), and The Looking-Glass (1943).

March was also a prolific short story writer, with his works appearing in prominent literary magazines. His stories were collected in volumes such as The Little Wife and Other Stories (1935) and Trial Balance: The Collected Short Stories of William March (1945). He was a four-time recipient of the O. Henry Award for short fiction.

In 1954, March published his final novel, The Bad Seed, a psychological thriller about a seemingly innocent child who is, in fact, a murderer. The novel was a commercial success and was nominated for the 1955 National Book Award for Fiction. It was adapted into a Broadway play and subsequently into several films. March died of a heart attack on May 15, 1954, shortly after the novel’s publication.