Richard Deming
Richard Deming was an American writer born in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1915, known for his extensive contributions to crime and mystery fiction, as well as nonfiction works on various subjects including law and sleep research. After graduating from Washington University in St. Louis and earning a master's degree from the University of Iowa, he served in the U.S. Army during World War II, rising to the rank of captain. Post-war, he worked for the American National Red Cross while beginning his writing career. Deming authored numerous novels, including ten under the pseudonym "Ellery Queen," and created the character Manville "Manny" Moon, a private investigator with a compelling backstory. His work reflects a strong influence from the hard-boiled traditions of authors like Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. Beyond fiction, Deming's nonfiction often explored themes related to crime, evidenced by his book "The Police Lab at Work." He was recognized for his achievements, receiving a Distinguished Alumni citation from Central Methodist College in 1958 and serving on the Board of Directors of the Mystery Writers of America until his death in 1983.
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Richard Deming
Writer
- Born: April 25, 1915
- Birthplace: Des Moines, Iowa
- Died: September 5, 1983
- Place of death: Ventura, California
Biography
Born in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1915, to Fred Kemp, a history teacher, and Erva Pearl (Smyers) Deming, Richard Deming remained in the Midwest until World War II intervened. He attended Central Methodist College in Fayette, Missouri, for two years, and completed an A.B. at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1937. After receiving an M.A. from the University of Iowa in 1939, he became a social worker in St. Louis, until he joined the U.S. Army in 1941. Deming served in Europe, rising to the rank of captain. After completing his military service in 1945, he served as chapter manager for the American National Red Cross in Dunkirk, New York, until 1950. He began his career as a freelance writer in 1946 while working for the Red Cross, and one of his later nonfiction works, Heroes of the International Red Cross, can be traced to both his military and his Red Cross service. Deming married Ruth Lorraine DuBois in 1948; the couple had three children.
Deming was a consummately professional writer, turning his hand to nonfiction, fiction in various genres, and novelizations of popular television programs. He used several pseudonyms, in some cases publishers’ “house names” that were shared by several writers. For example, he wrote ten of the novels published under the name of “Ellery Queen,” although none of these featured the fictional detective of the same name.
The bulk of Deming’s output can be classed as crime and mystery fiction, including hard-boiled detective novels, more than 150 short stories, and novelizations of stories from such television shows as Dragnet (including collections of Dragnet stories for young readers), The Mod Squad, Starsky and Hutch, Dan Tanna, and Charlie’s Angels. The silver screen returned the favor, turning his novel The Careful Man into the black comedy Drop Dead, Darling, starring Tony Curtis as a modern Bluebeard. One of Deming’s most fully realized creations is the tough but compassionate private eye Manville “Manny” Moon, who has an artificial right leg to replace the leg he lost during World War II. Critics place the Moon books in the Hammett- Chandler tradition, strong on atmosphere with a tough, quick-witted, wisecracking hero.
Among Deming’s nonfiction works are books on sleep research and the advantages of the metric system, but even in nonfiction, he tended to write on crime. His book The Police Lab at Work studies actual cases to demonstrate the use of science in detecting crime and apprehending criminals, and his trilogy on law and society presents a popular overview of criminal, civil, and international law.
In 1958, Central Methodist College honored Deming with its Distinguished Alumni citation. Deming was a member of the Board of Directors of the Mystery Writers of America from 1976 until his death in 1983.