Biography
Hartzell Spence was an American writer. Born in Clarion, Iowa, he graduated from the University of Iowa in 1930 with a degree in journalism. He worked as a reporter and bureau manager for United Press before becoming a freelance writer.
Spence wrote the memoir One Foot in Heaven (1940), a bestseller and Book of the Month Club selection based on his father’s life as a Methodist minister. It was adapted into the 1941 Warner Bros. film of the same name. During the Second World War he served as founding editor of Yank, the Army Weekly and is credited with coining the term “pinup”. He later published further books including the sequel Get Thee Behind Me (1942) and historical novels, and contributed articles to magazines such as the Saturday Evening Post, Look and Reader’s Digest.
