John W. Campbell Jr. was an American science fiction writer, novelist, screenwriter, and editor whose career spanned several decades of the twentieth century.

Born on June 8, 1910, in Newark, Campbell was educated at Blair Academy, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Duke University. He worked as a writer under his own name as well as under the pseudonyms Don A. Stuart, Karl Van Kampen, and Arthur McCann, publishing science fiction across multiple pen names before moving into editorial work. In late 1937 he became editor of Astounding Science Fiction, a position he held until his death on July 11, 1971, in Mountainside, New Jersey. His tenure at that magazine placed him at the center of what has since been identified as the Golden Age of Science Fiction, a period with which he is credited as a shaping force. He received the Hugo Award for Best Professional Magazine, recognizing the standing of Astounding Science Fiction within the field, and also received the Retro Hugo Award for Best Novella. Following his death, he was inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame.

Campbell's work as both a writer and an editor consistently operated within the genre of science fiction, and his editorial role at Astounding Science Fiction remained the defining professional commitment of his adult life. His use of multiple pen names allowed him to publish fiction alongside his editorial duties, maintaining a presence on both sides of the page throughout his career. The range of roles he occupied — writer, novelist, screenwriter, and long-serving magazine editor — reflects the breadth of his engagement with science fiction as a literary form.