Born on June 1, 1923, as Paul Komisaruk, he later adopted the surname Kolton as a pen name when he began writing mystery books.
Raised in Washington Heights, Manhattan, Kolton served in the United States Army during World War II.
[1] After working as a reporter for The Journal of Commerce starting in 1946 and serving as an account executive at several advertising agencies, Kolton's first Wall Street job came in 1955 when he was hired by the public relations department at the New York Stock Exchange.
In 1971, he was appointed president the Amex, making him the first person to be selected from within the exchange to serve as its leader, succeeding Ralph S. Saul, who resigned in March 1971.
[5] Following his departure from the American Stock Exchange, Kolton served as chair of an accounting standards advisory organization and as a corporate director.