He was the author of numerous short stories, three novels, and The Heartland, volume in the Time-Life Library of America series.
He was born in Chicago on September 21, 1908, the son of Ann Victoria (née O'Shea) and Frank McLaughlin.
He attended the University of Colorado at Boulder, and went to New York City early in the 1930s, establishing himself as a well-published writer of short stories.
He was the managing editor of McCall's magazine during the early 1940s until he was called to duty in the U.S. Army during World War II.
In addition to his short stories, he was the author of three novels, The Side of the Angels (1947), The Walls of Heaven (1951), and The Notion of Sin (1959).