William March

William March was an American novelist and short-story writer, a decorated First World War veteran best remembered for his final novel The Bad Seed, a chilling 1954 classic that helped create the 'evil child' archetype in popular fiction.

William March (the pen name of William Edward Campbell) served with distinction in the U.S. Marine Corps during the First World War, an experience that informed his acclaimed war novel Company K. He pursued a successful business career alongside his writing, producing several novels and well-regarded short stories marked by psychological acuity and dark themes.

His final novel, The Bad Seed (1954), published shortly before his death, became his most famous work — an instant bestseller and National Book Award finalist that introduced the chilling figure of the angelic child who is secretly a remorseless killer. Adapted into a hit play and a celebrated 1956 film, it shaped a whole tradition of “evil child” horror.

Though much of his work fell into neglect, March is increasingly recognized as a significant American writer, and The Bad Seed endures as a foundational and disturbing classic of psychological suspense.