Thomas Sancton Sr.

Thomas Sancton, Sr. is an American novelist. (January 11, 1915- ) was born in the Panama Canal Zone and raised in New Orleans. His books, such as By Starlight, and "Count Roller Skates" are often set in his native Louisiana. He studied at Harvard as Niemann Fellow in the early 1940s. He wrote extensively on civil rights and the South while managing editor of The New Republic and, later, as Washington editor of The Nation. In the 1950's he was a reporter and feature writer for The New Orleans Item (afternoon newspaper) and taught feature writing at Tulane University where he had graduated in 1935. In the 1960's he represented clients of Walker Saussy Inc., a public relations firm. In earlier years he had reported for Life magazine and the Associated Press.

He is the father of Thomas Sancton Jr., noted jazz clarinettist and former Paris bureau chief for Time magazine.