F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940)

Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald, Gilded Age Author

He was named for his distant relative, Francis Scott Key, who wrote the words to "The Star Spangled Banner". However, he was known as Scott Fitzgerald. He was educated at the Newman School in Hackensack, New Jersey, and at Princeton University. After his early death, he became recognized as the voice of the Gilded Age. He is best known for his novels such as The Great Gatsby (1925), Tender is the Night (1934), The Beautiful & The Damned (1922), This Side of Paradise (1920) & The Last Tycoon (1941). He became estranged from his wife who ended up in a mental asylum and lived with Sheilah Graham during his final years while living in Hollywood. He had struggled with alcohol throughout his life and died from a heart attack aged only 44. 
Contributed by Mark Meredith on 06/04/2019 and last updated on 21/10/2021.