Peter Lyon

Peter Lyon (1915–1996) was an American author, biographer and radio program writer. His 1963 biography of innovative magazine editor S. S. McClure was a finalist for the National Book Award and was awarded a George Polk Award. Lyon transitioned from writing for different radio programs in the 1940s to becoming a non-fiction author and magazine reporter.

The biography detailed how McClure, as editor of his magazine McClure's, pioneered a new form of investigative journalism known as muckraking and introduced the public to some of the 20th century's most well known writers. Muckracking was a new style of investigative journalism intended to expose to the public various injustices occurring in government, commercial, educational and other institutions. McClure was the maternal grandfather of Lyon. The reviewer also stated that McClure's editorial decisions and leadership at the magazine are poorly explained, further concluding: "The reader receives little understanding of McClure's precise contribution to the success of the magazine"

Lyon spent most of his career as a freelance writer. His other books included: The Wild, Wild West and Eisenhower: Portrait of the Hero.

Early in his career, during the 1940s, Lyon was a writer for many radio programs including The March of Time, Cavalcade of America, Theater Guild on the Air, and The Eternal Light. Lyon was the president of the Radio Writer's Guild which was the predecessor to the Writers Guild of America. His radio career was abruptly ended in 1950 when he was accused of being a communist by Senator Joseph McCarthy during the Red Scare. A victim of McCarthyism, he was promptly expelled from any further radio work.