Will Oursler

Who was Will Oursler?

Will Oursler was an American author, lecturer and radio commentator, and the son of noted novelist and playwright Fulton Oursler. He frequently wrote and spoke on religious and inspirational subjects.

Born July 12, 1913, in Baltimore, Maryland, his family soon moved to New York City where Will grew up and attended school. After a brief stint at art school, he decided to complete college and graduated cum laude from Harvard University in 1937. After graduation, Oursler worked on the staffs of various Boston newspapers and began writing in earnest. His first book, The Trial of Vincent Doon, was published in 1941, followed by Folio on Florence White in 1942.

Oursler served as a war correspondent for Fawcett Publications during World War II. After the war, he began contributing numerous articles and short stories to well known magazines such as Collier's and Reader's Digest. Oursler also wrote non-fiction as well as novels and mysteries; non-fiction titles include Father Flanagan of Boys' Town about Father Edward J. Flanagan's work with young men, The Boy Scout Story, The Murderers, and The Road to Faith. N.Y. N.Y. is perhaps Oursler's best known novel.