Hammett, Dashiell, 1949-1961

Novelist and short story writer. Dashiell Hammett was born in St. Mary's County, M.D. and raised in Philadelphia and Baltimore. After enlisting in the Army Ambulance Corps during the First World War (where he contracted tuberculosis) and working at various times across the country for the Pinkerton Detective Agency, Hammett began writing short stories for publications such as The Black Mask. Hammett went on to publish five novels after which he spend the rest of his career writing screenplays and "doctoring" scripts for film, radio and television. After enlisting again in the Army during the Second World War, Hammett's political activities eventually lead to him refusing to testify against others before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), for which he was blacklisted. He spent the rest of this life in rural New York State and died of lung cancer in New York City in 1961.