Cochran, Hamilton, 1898-

Hamilton Cochran (1898- ) was an American writer of historical novels with a nautical background. Born in West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he attended Swarthmore Preparatory School but when World War I broke out in his senior year he left school and enlisted in the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut. He served 18 months on the USCGC Algonquin and then for a brief time in the Merchant Marine. Returning to school he majored in journalism at the University of Michigan and after graduation did advertising work in New York City. From 1931-1932 he served as Commissioner of Public Welfare for the island of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands, where his interest in the history of the area, particularly the dramatic tales of pirates, resulted in his first book: These are the Virgin Islands (1937).

Cochran then joined the advertising department of the Saturday Evening Post and a year later was named manager of the automotive division. He worked for Standard Oil for several years and served in the Coast Guard again during World War II, but his main interest was sea travel, of which he logged more than 100,000 hours.

Over his career he wrote thirteen books -- both fiction and non-fiction -- as well as numerous poems and articles. His best known title was Blockade Runners of the Confederacy . He and his wife, Enid Slee, had three daughters.

From the guide to the Hamilton Cochran Papers, 1932-1977, (Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries)