Frederick Charles Painton was an American journalist and prolific pulp-fiction writer active in the 1920s and 1930s. His career began in newspaper journalism, and he later became involved in veterans’ affairs as a high-ranking member of the American Legion. Painton wrote for the pulp magazine market, where fast-paced fiction reached large audiences across adventure and other popular genres.

During World War II, Painton worked as a correspondent covering military action in North Africa, Italy, and the South Pacific. His reporting career thus extended beyond the period when his pulp fiction was most prominent.