Ross Lockridge, Jr., American author, poet, and academic (b. 1914)
Ross Franklin Lockridge Jr., (April 25, 1914 – March 6, 1948) was an American writer known for writing Raintree County (1948). The novel, which quickly became a bestseller, was widely praised by readers and critics alike. Some have considered it a "Great American Novel." As the novel climbed high on the bestseller lists, Lockridge, at the peak of his fame, died by suicide at age 33.