Sterling Lord

Sterling Lord (September 3, 1920 – September 3, 2022) was an American literary agent, editor, and author. His clients included Jack Kerouac, Ken Kesey, Howard Fast, Jimmy Breslin, and Doris Kearns Goodwin.

Early life and education Lord was born in Burlington, Iowa, on September 3, 1920. His father, also named Sterling, was an executive at the Leopold Desk Company in Burlington who also worked as a bookbinder.

Career After graduation, Lord joined the U.S. Army during World War II, and was an editor for a weekly magazine supplement of Stars and Stripes. The Army discontinued the magazine in 1948, but Lord co-owned it as a private publication for a year afterwards. Kerouac entrusted him with his novel On the Road, and after more than four years Viking Press bought and published it. Lord's other noted clients included Jimmy Breslin, Ken Kesey with One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, and political figures like John Sirica, Robert McNamara, and Ted Kennedy.

In 2015, the city of Burlington held its first Sterling Lord Writers and Readers Festival to honor him.

Personal life Lord's four marriages all ended in divorce. He had one daughter. He died in Ocala, Florida, on September 3, 2022, his 102nd birthday.