Newton, D. B. (Dwight Bennett), 1916-

Dwight Bennett Newton (b. 1916) was born in Kansas City, Mo. He wrote at least 70 novels, 175 short stories, and 40 television scripts. A resident of Bend, Or., many of his novels have an Oregon setting. His novel Range boss (Pocket Books, 1949) was the first novel bought and published as a paperback original without first appearing in a hardcover ed. He often wrote under pseudonyms, including Dwight Bennett, Clement Hardin, Ford Logan, Hank Mitchum, and Dan Temple. In the late 1950's Newton wrote scripts for television westerns, including Wagon train, Tales of Wells Fargo, Death Valley days, and others. He was also a founder and first secretary-treasurer of the Western Writers of America.

Dwight Bennett Newton, author of formulary western fiction, was born January 14, 1916, in Kansas City, Missouri, son of Otis L. and Grace (Thompson) Newton. He married Mary Jane Kregel in 1941 and has two daughters, Jennifer and Janet. He received a master's' degree in history from the University of Missouri, Kansas City in 1942, and served in the Army Corps of Engineers from 1942 to 1946.

A founder and the first secretary-treasurer of the Western Writers of America, Dwight Newton has authored seventy novels, over 175 short stories and forty television scripts. His novel Range Boss (Pocket Books, 1949) was the first bought and published as a paperback original without first appearing in a hardcover edition, initiating a new era in modern publishing. Pseudonyms used by Newton include Dwight Bennett, D. B. Newton, Clement Hardin, Ford Logan, Hank Mitchum, and Dan Temple.

In the late 1950's, Newton worked as a Hollywood scriptwriter, turning out teleplays for western television series. He wrote the first teleplay for and created several of the regular characters in Wagon Train, and worked on stories for Tales of Wells Fargo, Death Valley Days, and others. Dwight Newton lives in Bend, Oregon.