T. O'Conor Sloane
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T. O'Conor Sloane (1851-1940) was the editor of Amazing Stories from 1929 through 1938, when publisher Ziff-Davis moved production of the magazine to Chicago and named Raymond A. Palmer as Sloane's successor.
Dr. Sloane is the author of The Standard Electrical Dictionary, first published in 1892 (which sold for 3.00 $ in 1897), as well as How to become a Successful Electrician, Arithmethic of Electricity, Electricity Simplified and Electric Toy Making. He held an A.M., an E.M. and a Ph.D..
Sloane was involved in the magazine from the very beginning, when he served as Hugo Gernsback's managing editor. His own role in the magazine production grew and in 1929, he was named editor. Shortly after, in an editorial, he wrote that he believed that man would never achieve spaceflight. Nevertheless, he published first stories by luminaries such as Jack Williamson, John W. Campbell, Jr., Clifford D. Simak, and E.E. "Doc" Smith. His skills as an editor were debatable, and he was a slow respondent. Furthermore, Ziff-Davis's payment rates and policies caused many of its more successful authors to sell their stories to competitors.
Sloane's son was married to Thomas Alva Edison's daughter.