Grafton,+Samuel

, Biographical Information:
Dates: 1907-1997  Dates in Ridgefield: 1948-1962

 fiction, nonfiction, plays, screenplays, journalism columnist, editor, playwright, journalist, screenwriter

 Samuel Grafton, who lived on Barry Avenue from 1948 until 1962, was a writer who was accomplished in many genres. He wrote the nationally syndicated column, “I’d Rather Be Right,” authored numerous books on politics and economics, freelanced for magazines, published a popular mystery novel, //A Most Contagious Game//, and wrote acclaimed scripts for television. Today, one of his observations is still being frequently quoted: “A penny will hide the biggest star in the universe if you hold it close enough to your eye.” Born in Brooklyn in 1907, Mr. Grafton grew up in Philadelphia, and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1929. That year he won a national essay contest and with it, a reporting job on //The Philadelphia Record//. In 1933 he became an editor of //The New York Post//, and in 1939 began the daily column, called “I’d Rather Be Right,” which appeared in 120 newspapers. Early in World War II, he was the leading American journalist supporting de Gaulle, the Spanish Republic, and the Free French, denouncing Vichy as a Fascist front. For this, he later received the French Legion of Honor. While a Ridgefielder he often freelanced for major magazines, including //Look, McCall’s, TV Guide,// and //Saturday Evening Post//. After leaving Ridgefield, he and his wife, Edith, founded Grafton Publications, a small firm that produced newsletters on youth and drug addiction. He died in 1997.

//All Out! How Democracy Will Defend America //, 1940 //An American Diary, //1943 //What Shall We Do With the Germans //, 1944 //Let Germany Earn Peace, // 1945 //A Most Contagious Game, // 1955
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">--Sources: Notable Ridgefielders–Jack Sanders; //New York Times// obit December 15, 1997; Amazon